--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A man who has not suffered has nothing to…" description: "\"A man who has not suffered has nothing to tell with his paintings.\" — Irving Stone" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de6/irving-stone-3288_artist_a-man-who-has-not-suffered-has-nothing-t_2533078.png" --- # A man who has not suffered has nothing to tell with his… ![“A man who has not suffered has nothing to tell with his paintings.” quote by Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de6/irving-stone-3288_artist_a-man-who-has-not-suffered-has-nothing-t_2533078.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de6/irving-stone-3288_artist_a-man-who-has-not-suffered-has-nothing-t_2533078.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de6/irving-stone-3288_artist_a-man-who-has-not-suffered-has-nothing-t_2533078.png) > “A man who has not suffered has nothing to tell with his paintings.” [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Only those who have endured hardship can create authentic art. **In simple terms:** Suffering fuels authentic artistic expression. Key Takeaway Embrace challenges to deepen creative work. Themes art pain authenticity Mood thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - painting - writing - music - personal trauma Key Concepts existentialism creative process Questions to Reflect On - Can art be profound without suffering? - How does personal experience shape artistic voice? A Different Perspective Not all art requires personal suffering. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Paintings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paintings/) ## Related quotes > [“A man who has suffered much and wandered much has pleasure out of his sorrows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/a-man-who-has-suffered-much-and-wandered-much-has-pleasure-out-of-his/) [Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/) > [The man who has not suffered - what does he know anyway?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-joshua-heschel/the-man-who-has-not-suffered-what-does-he-know-anyway/) [Abraham Joshua Heschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-joshua-heschel/) > [“This man suffered too much. He hated all this, and somehow he couldn't get away. When I had a chance I begged him to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/this-man-suffered-too-much-he-hated-all-this-and-somehow-he-couldn-t/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [You all must realize that Mandela was not the only man who suffered. There were many others - hundreds who languished in prison and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winnie-madikizela-mandela/you-all-must-realize-that-mandela-was-not-the-only-man-who-suffered/) [Winnie Madikizela-Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winnie-madikizela-mandela/) > [Had not almost every man suffered by the Press, or were not the tyranny thereof become universal, I had not wanted reason for complaint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/had-not-almost-every-man-suffered-by-the-press-or-were-not-the/) [Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/) > [“He endured the curse of every man. He had suffered the inevitability of unrequited love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-alexander/he-endured-the-curse-of-every-man-he-had-suffered-the-inevitability/) [Felix Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-alexander/) > [A lot of people tell me that my paintings are sad-looking, but they're actually more pensive than sad. They're very colorful and that says…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heart-evangelista/a-lot-of-people-tell-me-that-my-paintings-are-sad-looking-but-they-re/) [Heart Evangelista](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heart-evangelista/) > [The question before me, now that I am old, is not how to be dead, which I know from enough practice, but how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-question-before-me-now-that-i-am-old-is-not-how-to-be-dead-which/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [“because he was a man who had suffered but because he was a man who had suffered and could still crack jokes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/because-he-was-a-man-who-had-suffered-but-because-he-was-a-man-who/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [It used to be said of a man who had suffered a catastrophic setback in his line of work that he had been handed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/it-used-to-be-said-of-a-man-who-had-suffered-a-catastrophic-setback/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I am the man, I suffered, I was there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/i-am-the-man-i-suffered-i-was-there/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [“His faith was no game he played.  It was not a mantle to put on or be taken off as the need arose.  The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ki-longfellow/his-faith-was-no-game-he-played-it-was-not-a-mantle-to-put-on-or-be/) [Ki Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ki-longfellow/) > [“Once more into the breach,” he said, turning up his collar. “Wish me luck.” For an odd second, she thought he might lean down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mcdermott/once-more-into-the-breach-he-said-turning-up-his-collar-wish-me-luck/) [Alice McDermott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mcdermott/) > [“I love every part of you, the man who wants to forget and the man who suffered for his father’s sins.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willow-winters/i-love-every-part-of-you-the-man-who-wants-to-forget-and-the-man-who/) [Willow Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willow-winters/) > [The paintings that laughed at him merrily from the walls were like nothing he had ever seen or dreamed of. Gone were the flat,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/the-paintings-that-laughed-at-him-merrily-from-the-walls-were-like/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) ## More by Irving Stone > [ You cannot be the good all the time — sometimes it is necessary to get angry. \[Vincent Van Gogh\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/you-cannot-be-the-good-all-the-time-sometimes-it-is-necessary-to-get/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) > [The brooding is better than the joy because even if the heart fills with happiness, it still mourns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/the-brooding-is-better-than-the-joy-because-even-if-the-heart-fills/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) > [“Diligence does not work if there is a lack of innate talent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/diligence-does-not-work-if-there-is-a-lack-of-innate-talent/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) > [“From this vantage point he came to a realization that everything that had happened to him before this had been a journey upward through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/from-this-vantage-point-he-came-to-a-realization-that-everything-that/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) > [Listen, my friend, all forms that exist in God's universe can be found in the human figure. A man's body and face can tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/listen-my-friend-all-forms-that-exist-in-god-s-universe-can-be-found/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) > [You cannot be firmly certain about anything. You can only have enough courage and strength to do what you consider to be right. Maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/you-cannot-be-firmly-certain-about-anything-you-can-only-have-enough/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) > [“Only suffering grows big artists.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/only-suffering-grows-big-artists/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) > [“The fields that push up the corn, and the water that rushes down the ravine, the juice of the grape, and the life of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/the-fields-that-push-up-the-corn-and-the-water-that-rushes-down-the/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) > [Nature always resists the artist at the beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/nature-always-resists-the-artist-at-the-beginning/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) > [Sometimes men are generous and forgiving, sometimes angry and blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/sometimes-men-are-generous-and-forgiving-sometimes-angry-and-blind/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) > [Reading is a stout-hearted activity, disporting courage, keenness, stick-to-it-ness. It is also, in my experience, one of the most thrilling and enduring delights of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/reading-is-a-stout-hearted-activity-disporting-courage-keenness-stick/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) > [Do not call yourself old. A man is as old as the creative force within him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/do-not-call-yourself-old-a-man-is-as-old-as-the-creative-force-within/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) > [“Art should be linked to abstract things - color, line, tone. It is not an instrument to improve social conditions and chase ugliness. Painting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/art-should-be-linked-to-abstract-things-color-line-tone-it-is-not-an/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) > [ I will be an artist. I am sure I will. \[Vincent Van Gogh\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/i-will-be-an-artist-i-am-sure-i-will-vincent-van-gogh/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) > [His mind was like a soup dish, wide and shallow; it could hold a small amount of nearly anything, but the slightest jarring spilled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/his-mind-was-like-a-soup-dish-wide-and-shallow-it-could-hold-a-small/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) [Explore all 130 Irving Stone quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) ## 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": "A man who has not suffered has nothing to tell with his paintings.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Irving Stone" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/a-man-who-has-not-suffered-has-nothing-to-tell-with-his-paintings/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/a-man-who-has-not-suffered-has-nothing-to-tell-with-his-paintings/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de6/irving-stone-3288_artist_a-man-who-has-not-suffered-has-nothing-t_2533078.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de6/irving-stone-3288_artist_a-man-who-has-not-suffered-has-nothing-t_2533078.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de6/irving-stone-3288_artist_a-man-who-has-not-suffered-has-nothing-t_2533078.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A man who has not suffered has nothing to tell with his paintings.” — Irving Stone", "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": "Irving Stone", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A man who has not suffered...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/a-man-who-has-not-suffered-has-nothing-to-tell-with-his-paintings/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/a-man-who-has-not-suffered-has-nothing-to-tell-with-his-paintings/#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 } } ] } ```