--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Even castles in the sky can do with a…" description: "\"Even castles in the sky can do with a fresh coat of paint.\" — Haruki Murakami" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c1/haruki-murakami-21_castles_even-castles-in-the-sky-can-do-with-a-fr_2227964.jpg" --- # Even castles in the sky can do with a fresh coat of paint. ![“Even castles in the sky can do with a fresh coat of paint.” quote by Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c1/haruki-murakami-21_castles_even-castles-in-the-sky-can-do-with-a-fr_2227964.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c1/haruki-murakami-21_castles_even-castles-in-the-sky-can-do-with-a-fr_2227964.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c1/haruki-murakami-21_castles_even-castles-in-the-sky-can-do-with-a-fr_2227964.jpg) > “Even castles in the sky can do with a fresh coat of paint.” [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A fanciful metaphor suggesting that even lofty, impractical ideas can be improved with simple effort. **In simple terms:** Even lofty ideas can be refreshed. Key Takeaway Apply small improvements to big dreams. Themes creativity improvement optimism Mood playful inspirational Type metaphorical motivational When to use this quote - artistic projects - personal goals - team brainstorming - design revisions Key Concepts metaphor self‑efficacy Questions to Reflect On - How can you make a grand vision more attainable? - What simple change could revitalize a stale concept? A Different Perspective May overlook practical constraints of the idea. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Castles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/castles/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Sky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sky/) ## Related quotes > [Clouds do not really look like camels or sailing ships or castles in the sky. They are simply a natural process at work. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/clouds-do-not-really-look-like-camels-or-sailing-ships-or-castles-in/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [You don't need planning permission to build castles in the sky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banksy/you-don-t-need-planning-permission-to-build-castles-in-the-sky/) [Banksy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banksy/) > [Each generation must get on the same old merry-go-round, only disguised in a fresh coat of paint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-anne-porter/each-generation-must-get-on-the-same-old-merry-go-round-only/) [Katherine Anne Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-anne-porter/) > [He was dancing to some music No one else had ever heard He'd speak in unknown languages She would translate every word And then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-chapin/he-was-dancing-to-some-music-no-one-else-had-ever-heard-he-d-speak-in/) [Harry Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-chapin/) > [The vision that God gives is not some unattainable castle in the sky, but a vision of what God wants you to be down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/the-vision-that-god-gives-is-not-some-unattainable-castle-in-the-sky/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [Now is our time. It's our time to chase rainbows and build castles in the sky. It's our time to create a life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-anderson/now-is-our-time-it-s-our-time-to-chase-rainbows-and-build-castles-in/) [Shawn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-anderson/) > [“It is amazing how quickly lies compound. They cover like a coat of paint, one on top of the other, until you cannot remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/it-is-amazing-how-quickly-lies-compound-they-cover-like-a-coat-of/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [You can put an extra coat of paint on a jalopy, but it's still a jalopy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/you-can-put-an-extra-coat-of-paint-on-a-jalopy-but-it-s-still-a-jalopy/) [Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/) > [Never underestimate the power of a fresh coat of white paint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremiah-brent/never-underestimate-the-power-of-a-fresh-coat-of-white-paint/) [Jeremiah Brent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremiah-brent/) > [When someone wants to freshen up their home a bit, and they don't want to spend a ton of money on construction, I always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-berk/when-someone-wants-to-freshen-up-their-home-a-bit-and-they-don-t-want/) [Bobby Berk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-berk/) > [“Doesn’t it sound so wonderful to call your dreams castles in the sky?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-atchley/doesn-t-it-sound-so-wonderful-to-call-your-dreams-castles-in-the-sky/) Miranda Atchley > [I realize that I've had Ian Van Dahl: 'Castles in the Sky,' the Ibiza jam, periodically stuck in my head for years, like years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oneohtrix-point-never/i-realize-that-i-ve-had-ian-van-dahl-castles-in-the-sky-the-ibiza-jam/) [Oneohtrix Point Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oneohtrix-point-never/) > [“She had been with her share of schemers and men who were forever building castles in the sky. All of those dreams made out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayana-mathis-the-twelve-tribes-of-hattie/she-had-been-with-her-share-of-schemers-and-men-who-were-forever/) Ayana Mathis The Twelve Tribes of Hattie > [You build a thousand castles, a thousand sanctuaries, you are nothing; you build a library, you are everything!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/you-build-a-thousand-castles-a-thousand-sanctuaries-you-are-nothing/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Instead of building castles against your enemies, build bridges for them to come to you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/instead-of-building-castles-against-your-enemies-build-bridges-for/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) ## More by Haruki Murakami > [I always feel like I'm struggling to become someone else. Like I'm trying to find a new place, grab hold of a new life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-always-feel-like-i-m-struggling-to-become-someone-else-like-i-m/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [If writing novels is like planting a forest, then writing short stories is more like planting a garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-writing-novels-is-like-planting-a-forest-then-writing-short/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“The sad truth is that what I could recall in five seconds all too soon needed ten, then thirty, thena full minute...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sad-truth-is-that-what-i-could-recall-in-five-seconds-all-too/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Intelligent teenage girls were often instinctively theatrical, purposely eccentric, mouthing highly suggestive words to confuse people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/intelligent-teenage-girls-were-often-instinctively-theatrical/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Memory is like fiction; or else it's fiction that's like memory. This really came home to me once I started writing fiction, that memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/memory-is-like-fiction-or-else-it-s-fiction-that-s-like-memory-this/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [The most dangerous creature here would have to be me. So maybe I'm just scared of my own shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-most-dangerous-creature-here-would-have-to-be-me-so-maybe-i-m/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [If you listen to the radio for a whole hour there's maybe one decent song. The rest is mass-produced garbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-you-listen-to-the-radio-for-a-whole-hour-there-s-maybe-one-decent/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“that one of our problems was our inability to recognize and accept our own deformities”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/that-one-of-our-problems-was-our-inability-to-recognize-and-accept/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“When I look back at myself at age twenty, what I remember most is being alone and lonely. I had no girlfriend to warm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-i-look-back-at-myself-at-age-twenty-what-i-remember-most-is/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“There's not a branch of publishing or broadcasting that doesn't depend in some way on advertising. It'd be like an aquarium without water. Why,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/there-s-not-a-branch-of-publishing-or-broadcasting-that-doesn-t/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“One by one, I'll face the tasks before me and complete them as best I can. Focusing on each stride forward, but at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/one-by-one-i-ll-face-the-tasks-before-me-and-complete-them-as-best-i/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Eleven o'clock had come and gone. I had to find a way to bring this conversation to a successful conclusion and get out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/eleven-o-clock-had-come-and-gone-i-had-to-find-a-way-to-bring-this/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Some people get a kick out of reading railway timetables and that's all they do all day. Some people make huge model boats out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/some-people-get-a-kick-out-of-reading-railway-timetables-and-that-s/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“When the time comes, everybody’s got to end up where they belong. Only me, I didn’t have a place to call my own. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-the-time-comes-everybody-s-got-to-end-up-where-they-belong-only/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“You let something out of the bag before yourself knew what it was all about”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/you-let-something-out-of-the-bag-before-yourself-knew-what-it-was-all/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) [Explore all 2,928 Haruki Murakami quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## More Artist quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) [Browse all 32,600 Artist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Even castles in the sky can do with a fresh coat of paint.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Haruki Murakami" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/even-castles-in-the-sky-can-do-with-a-fresh-coat-of-paint/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/even-castles-in-the-sky-can-do-with-a-fresh-coat-of-paint/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c1/haruki-murakami-21_castles_even-castles-in-the-sky-can-do-with-a-fr_2227964.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c1/haruki-murakami-21_castles_even-castles-in-the-sky-can-do-with-a-fr_2227964.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c1/haruki-murakami-21_castles_even-castles-in-the-sky-can-do-with-a-fr_2227964.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Even castles in the sky can do with a fresh coat of paint.” — Haruki Murakami", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Haruki Murakami", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Even castles in the sky can...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/even-castles-in-the-sky-can-do-with-a-fresh-coat-of-paint/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/even-castles-in-the-sky-can-do-with-a-fresh-coat-of-paint/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```