---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An artist does not have to think about…"
description: "\"“An artist does not have to think about what he is doing.”\" — Irving Stone"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/irving-stone-3288_art_an-artist-does-not-have-to-think-about-w_2370054.png"
---

#  An artist does not have to think about what he is doing.

![“An artist does not have to think about what he is doing.” quote by Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/irving-stone-3288_art_an-artist-does-not-have-to-think-about-w_2370054.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/irving-stone-3288_art_an-artist-does-not-have-to-think-about-w_2370054.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/irving-stone-3288_art_an-artist-does-not-have-to-think-about-w_2370054.png)

> ““An artist does not have to think about what he is doing.””

[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.

Creativity flows without over‑analysis; artists act intuitively.

**In simple terms:** Artists create instinctively.

Key Takeaway

Embrace intuition in work.

Themes

creativity intuition artistic process

Mood

inspired calm

Type

artistic motivational

When to use this quote

- painting
- writing
- design
- problem solving

Key Concepts

flow mindfulness

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you quiet the inner critic?
- When does analysis help versus hinder?

A Different Perspective

Over‑thinking can stifle expression.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/)

## Related quotes

> [“What the fuck does he think he's doing anyway? And when has running around in a figure eight ever helped anyone?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-k-kelly-martin-2/what-the-fuck-does-he-think-he-s-doing-anyway-and-when-has-running/)

C. K. Kelly Martin

> [If you think you're doing everything right, then you have a tendency to stand pat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stockton/if-you-think-you-re-doing-everything-right-then-you-have-a-tendency/)

[John Stockton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stockton/)

> [Society takes what it wants. The artist himself does not count, because there is no actual existence for the work of art. The work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/society-takes-what-it-wants-the-artist-himself-does-not-count-because/)

[Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/)

> [“When you think it is you who are doing something, that is when you get attached to how it all works out in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-viljoen/when-you-think-it-is-you-who-are-doing-something-that-is-when-you-get/)

Edward Viljoen

> [What do you think you're doing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/what-do-you-think-you-re-doing/)

[Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/)

> [I have my method when it comes to my work. I don't think about who has done what, rather what I am doing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-penty/i-have-my-method-when-it-comes-to-my-work-i-don-t-think-about-who-has/)

[Diana Penty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-penty/)

> [He does not think like you and me, cause he can't see what you and I can see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-moody-blues/he-does-not-think-like-you-and-me-cause-he-can-t-see-what-you-and-i/)

[The Moody Blues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-moody-blues/)

> [“Until someone else does something once, no one will think it can be done. Until someone else repeats it, everyone will think you're lucky.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-brogan/until-someone-else-does-something-once-no-one-will-think-it-can-be/)

[Chris Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-brogan/)

> [“You see I don’t think much of my own sex, Mr. Hartright—which will you have, tea or coffee?—no woman does think much of her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilkie-collins/you-see-i-don-t-think-much-of-my-own-sex-mr-hartright-which-will-you/)

[Wilkie Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilkie-collins/)

> [Writer does nothing, But think deeply.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashank-rayal/writer-does-nothing-but-think-deeply/)

[Shashank Rayal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashank-rayal/)

> [When one is painting one does not think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael/when-one-is-painting-one-does-not-think/)

[Raphael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael/)

> [Who does she think she is, Marilyn Monroe?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/who-does-she-think-she-is-marilyn-monroe/)

[Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/)

> [“No man is happy that does not think himself so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/publius-syrus/no-man-is-happy-that-does-not-think-himself-so/)

[Publius Syrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/publius-syrus/)

> [“Who is happy in this world? - One who does not think about how to be happy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-rana/who-is-happy-in-this-world-one-who-does-not-think-about-how-to-be/)

[Deepak Rana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-rana/)

> [“When does one think of God? It is when he gains something from Him, when love for Him arises!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/when-does-one-think-of-god-it-is-when-he-gains-something-from-him/)

[Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/)

## 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 Art quotes

> [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/)

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [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/)

> [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [“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

> [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/)

[Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

> [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 only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/)

[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/)

> [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/)

[Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“An artist does not have to think about what he is doing.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Irving Stone"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/an-artist-does-not-have-to-think-about-what-he-is-doing/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/an-artist-does-not-have-to-think-about-what-he-is-doing/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/irving-stone-3288_art_an-artist-does-not-have-to-think-about-w_2370054.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/irving-stone-3288_art_an-artist-does-not-have-to-think-about-w_2370054.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/irving-stone-3288_art_an-artist-does-not-have-to-think-about-w_2370054.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“An artist does not have to think about what he is doing.” — 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": "“An artist does not have to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/an-artist-does-not-have-to-think-about-what-he-is-doing/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/an-artist-does-not-have-to-think-about-what-he-is-doing/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
