--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Only now, years after having read though…" description: "\"“Only now, years after having read though the works of Shakespeare, Dickens, Scott, Poe, Balzac did he realise that even the most prolific writer creat..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/132/irving-stone-3288_art_only-now-years-after-having-read-though_836624.png" --- # Only now, years after having read though the works of… ![“Only now, years after having read though the works of Shakespeare, Dickens, Scott, Poe, Balzac did he realise that even the most prolific writer created only one novel; throw away the individual bindings and the whole of each man's writing constituted one book: the true and complete portrait of…” quote by Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/132/irving-stone-3288_art_only-now-years-after-having-read-though_836624.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/132/irving-stone-3288_art_only-now-years-after-having-read-though_836624.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/132/irving-stone-3288_art_only-now-years-after-having-read-though_836624.png) > ““Only now, years after having read though the works of Shakespeare, Dickens, Scott, Poe, Balzac did he realise that even the most prolific writer created only one novel; throw away the individual bindings and the whole of each man's writing constituted one book: the true and complete portrait of himself. An artist had one thing to say, and one only; he might flail about, seek new techniques, forms, colour combinations, subjects, but intrinsically he would always paint the same canvas, write the same book.”” [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. The quote suggests that despite varied works, an artist's true self is revealed in a single, consistent voice across all creations. **In simple terms:** An artist's core identity shows in all their work. Key Takeaway Seek authenticity in your creations. Themes identity authenticity artistic voice consistency Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - writing a novel - painting a series - musical composition - career retrospectives Key Concepts self-concept creative expression authorial identity Questions to Reflect On - How does an artist's core message evolve? - Can varied techniques still reflect the same self? A Different Perspective May overlook the evolution and growth of an artist over time. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [the autobiography is at one and the same time a single element in the series of the writer's created works and an interpretation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/the-autobiography-is-at-one-and-the-same-time-a-single-element-in-the/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [“Books are portals for the imagination, whether one is reading or writing, and unless one is keeping a private journal, writing something that no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pj-o-brien/books-are-portals-for-the-imagination-whether-one-is-reading-or/) PJ O'Brien > [A great writer created a world of his own and his readers are proud to live in it. A lesser writer may entice them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-connolly/a-great-writer-created-a-world-of-his-own-and-his-readers-are-proud/) [Cyril Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-connolly/) > [Read much, but not many works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-william-hamilton-9th-baronet/read-much-but-not-many-works/) [Sir William Hamilton, 9th Baronet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sir-william-hamilton-9th-baronet/) > [“We are lived by drives we cannot command, and we are read by works we cannot resist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/we-are-lived-by-drives-we-cannot-command-and-we-are-read-by-works-we/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [Conservation is not just an ideal that we read about; it works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-tory-peterson/conservation-is-not-just-an-ideal-that-we-read-about-it-works/) [Roger Tory Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-tory-peterson/) > [“It is very useful for those who minister the word of God, or give themselves up to prayer, to read the works of authors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-very-useful-for-those-who-minister-the-word-of-god-or-give/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I get a huge energy transfusion from listening to poets read their works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-cavalieri/i-get-a-huge-energy-transfusion-from-listening-to-poets-read-their/) [Grace Cavalieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-cavalieri/) > [We should always aim to read something different=not only the writers with whom we agree, but those with whom we are ready to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-oswald-sanders/we-should-always-aim-to-read-something-different-not-only-the-writers/) [J. 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After his first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-baker/a-man-writing-a-letter-is-a-man-in-the-act-of-thinking-and-it-was-an/) [Russell Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-baker/) > [Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/reading-maketh-a-full-man-conference-a-ready-man-and-writing-an-exact/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [I ain't no author, man... my writing skills are not of 'New York Times' best-seller quality, trust and believe it ain't. My vocabulary ain't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-harvey/i-ain-t-no-author-man-my-writing-skills-are-not-of-new-york-times/) [Steve Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-harvey/) ## 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. 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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": "“Only now, years after having read though the works of Shakespeare, Dickens, Scott, Poe, Balzac did he realise that even the most prolific writer created only one novel; throw away the individual bindings and the whole of each man's writing constituted one book: the true and complete portrait of himself. 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