---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No artist is normal. Who happen to be…"
description: "\"No artist is normal. Who happen to be normal cannot be an artist.\" — Irving Stone"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3a/irving-stone-3288_art_no-artist-is-normal-who-happen-to-be-nor_1843944.png"
---

#  No artist is normal. Who happen to be normal cannot be an…

![“No artist is normal. Who happen to be normal cannot be an artist.” quote by Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3a/irving-stone-3288_art_no-artist-is-normal-who-happen-to-be-nor_1843944.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3a/irving-stone-3288_art_no-artist-is-normal-who-happen-to-be-nor_1843944.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3a/irving-stone-3288_art_no-artist-is-normal-who-happen-to-be-nor_1843944.png)

> “No artist is normal. Who happen to be normal cannot be an artist.”

[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.

Artists inherently deviate from normalcy; normality precludes artistic expression.

**In simple terms:** Artists are not normal; normal cannot be artist.

Key Takeaway

Embrace uniqueness to foster creativity.

Themes

creativity individuality art norms identity

Mood

reflective thoughtful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- art education
- creative workshops
- personal development
- cultural critique

Key Concepts

nonconformity artistic freedom self-expression

Questions to Reflect On

- What benefits does normalcy offer?
- How can society support both normal and artistic individuals?

A Different Perspective

Normality may provide stability for some.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

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

## Related quotes

> [I just want to be written about as a normal artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mapplethorpe/i-just-want-to-be-written-about-as-a-normal-artist/)

[Robert Mapplethorpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mapplethorpe/)

> [The truth is, normal might take years. Normal might never happen. But it’s definitely not going to happen if I lounge around here watching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/the-truth-is-normal-might-take-years-normal-might-never-happen-but-it/)

[Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/)

> [“Regardless of its quality, no one wants to destroy what they created after so many sleepless nights. This is what distinguishes an artist from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhaidev/regardless-of-its-quality-no-one-wants-to-destroy-what-they-created/)

[Abhaidev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhaidev/)

> [For an artist, to be normal is a disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-mekas/for-an-artist-to-be-normal-is-a-disaster/)

[Jonas Mekas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-mekas/)

> [“But then, no artist is normal; if he were, he wouldn’t be an artist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-noland/but-then-no-artist-is-normal-if-he-were-he-wouldn-t-be-an-artist/)

[Rory Noland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-noland/)

> [“In my opinion, neither way is easy. If I'm going to struggle between artist and a normal 9 to 5 job. I might as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-mcmillan/in-my-opinion-neither-way-is-easy-if-i-m-going-to-struggle-between/)

Erin McMillan

> [Assuming normal winter weather, we currently anticipate the coal markets to remain difficult through 2015; while we always strive to operate a full capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/assuming-normal-winter-weather-we-currently-anticipate-the-coal/)

[Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/)

> [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/)

[John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/)

> [It's a very familiar type of place where people either go to their house on the lake or they get together in different places.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-carell/it-s-a-very-familiar-type-of-place-where-people-either-go-to-their/)

[Steve Carell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-carell/)

> [So I went to a club the other day, which is timely because my self esteem had been hovering right around 'normal' and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/so-i-went-to-a-club-the-other-day-which-is-timely-because-my-self/)

[Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/)

> [I don't want to just die a normal death, I wanna be killed twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eminem/i-don-t-want-to-just-die-a-normal-death-i-wanna-be-killed-twice/)

[Eminem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eminem/)

> [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [The strains and stresses suffered by the individual in society are grounded in the normal functioning of that society (and of the individual!) rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-marcuse/the-strains-and-stresses-suffered-by-the-individual-in-society-are/)

[Herbert Marcuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-marcuse/)

> [Normal is so Boring!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/normal-is-so-boring/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [There has got to be a way for me to have a role on TV or in film that is just as normal as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adeel-akhtar/there-has-got-to-be-a-way-for-me-to-have-a-role-on-tv-or-in-film-that/)

[Adeel Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adeel-akhtar/)

## 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": "No artist is normal. Who happen to be normal cannot be an artist.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Irving Stone"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/no-artist-is-normal-who-happen-to-be-normal-cannot-be-an-artist/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/no-artist-is-normal-who-happen-to-be-normal-cannot-be-an-artist/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3a/irving-stone-3288_art_no-artist-is-normal-who-happen-to-be-nor_1843944.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3a/irving-stone-3288_art_no-artist-is-normal-who-happen-to-be-nor_1843944.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3a/irving-stone-3288_art_no-artist-is-normal-who-happen-to-be-nor_1843944.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“No artist is normal. Who happen to be normal cannot be an artist.” — 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": "No artist is normal. Who happen...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/no-artist-is-normal-who-happen-to-be-normal-cannot-be-an-artist/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/no-artist-is-normal-who-happen-to-be-normal-cannot-be-an-artist/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
