---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A sculptor is supposed to be a dull dog…"
description: "\"A sculptor is supposed to be a dull dog anyway, so why should he not break out in colour sometimes, and in my case I'd as soon be hanged for a sheep as..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21e/jacob-epstein-30772_break_a-sculptor-is-supposed-to-be-a-dull-dog_1229444.jpg"
---

#  A sculptor is supposed to be a dull dog anyway, so why…

![“A sculptor is supposed to be a dull dog anyway, so why should he not break out in colour sometimes, and in my case I'd as soon be hanged for a sheep as a lamb.” quote by Jacob Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21e/jacob-epstein-30772_break_a-sculptor-is-supposed-to-be-a-dull-dog_1229444.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21e/jacob-epstein-30772_break_a-sculptor-is-supposed-to-be-a-dull-dog_1229444.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21e/jacob-epstein-30772_break_a-sculptor-is-supposed-to-be-a-dull-dog_1229444.jpg)

> “A sculptor is supposed to be a dull dog anyway, so why should he not break out in colour sometimes, and in my case I'd as soon be hanged for a sheep as a lamb.”

[Jacob Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Artists, often seen as serious, should also embrace spontaneity and color, breaking stereotypes even at personal risk.

**In simple terms:** Artists can be colorful, not just dull.

Key Takeaway

Allow creativity to break norms.

Themes

artistic expression stereotypes risk‑taking

Mood

playful defiant

Type

artistic provocative

When to use this quote

- art studios
- public installations
- gallery openings
- media interviews
- personal projects

Key Concepts

creativity identity social expectations

Questions to Reflect On

- What colors or ideas have you suppressed?
- How can you safely experiment with new styles?

A Different Perspective

Fear of criticism can suppress bold expression.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Colour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colour/) [Dog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog/) [Sculptor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sculptor/) [Sculptors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sculptors/)

## Related quotes

> [A gentleman is not born but crafted. He had to work on himself in the same way as a sculptor shaped a rough stone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/a-gentleman-is-not-born-but-crafted-he-had-to-work-on-himself-in-the/)

[Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/)

> [An actor is a sculptor who carves in snow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-barrett/an-actor-is-a-sculptor-who-carves-in-snow/)

Lawrence Barrett

> [The sculptor produces the beautiful statue by chipping away such parts of the marble block as are not needed - it is a process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/the-sculptor-produces-the-beautiful-statue-by-chipping-away-such/)

[Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/)

> [“consider the possibility that any man could, if he were so inclined, be the sculptor of his own brain, and that even the least…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-ramon-y-cajal/consider-the-possibility-that-any-man-could-if-he-were-so-inclined-be/)

[Santiago Ramón y Cajal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-ramon-y-cajal/)

> [In my view, the composer, just as the poet, the sculptor or the painter, is in duty bound to serve Man, the people. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-prokofiev/in-my-view-the-composer-just-as-the-poet-the-sculptor-or-the-painter/)

[Sergei Prokofiev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-prokofiev/)

> [The sculptor represents the transition from one pose to another he indicates how insensibly the first glides into the second. In his work we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auguste-rodin/the-sculptor-represents-the-transition-from-one-pose-to-another-he/)

[Auguste Rodin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auguste-rodin/)

> [“I used to know a sculptor," Isabella said, nodding. "He always said that if you looked hard enough, you could see where each person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-bauermeister/i-used-to-know-a-sculptor-isabella-said-nodding-he-always-said-that/)

[Erica Bauermeister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-bauermeister/)

> [It's very inconvenient being a sculptor. It's like playing the double-bass; one's so handicapped by one's baggage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/it-s-very-inconvenient-being-a-sculptor-it-s-like-playing-the-double/)

[Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/)

> [“Perhaps the solicitation to pamper the way men live is too strong for them, for much of the business of philosophy at the present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/perhaps-the-solicitation-to-pamper-the-way-men-live-is-too-strong-for/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [“I am the mountain and the sculptor, losing myself, finding myself, revealing what was there all along.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-k-asante/i-am-the-mountain-and-the-sculptor-losing-myself-finding-myself/)

[M.K. Asante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-k-asante/)

> [My dad is a sculptor and a painter, and mum runs an art gallery, which sells beautiful jewelry and ceramics and paintings - local…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-palladio/my-dad-is-a-sculptor-and-a-painter-and-mum-runs-an-art-gallery-which/)

[Sam Palladio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-palladio/)

> [Every young sculptor seems to think that he must give the world some specimen of indecorous womanhood, and call it Eve, Venus, a Nymph,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/every-young-sculptor-seems-to-think-that-he-must-give-the-world-some/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [I'm an ice sculptor. Last night I made a cube.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-m-an-ice-sculptor-last-night-i-made-a-cube/)

[Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/)

> [Carving is a source of joy to the artist. . . . To attack the raw material, gradually to extract a shape out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristide-maillol/carving-is-a-source-of-joy-to-the-artist-to-attack-the-raw-material/)

Aristide Maillol

> [Thought is the sculptor who can create the person you want to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/thought-is-the-sculptor-who-can-create-the-person-you-want-to-be/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

## More by Jacob Epstein

> [When I was doing Professor Albert Einstein's bust he had many a jibe at the Nazi professors, one hundred of whom had condemned his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/when-i-was-doing-professor-albert-einstein-s-bust-he-had-many-a-jibe/)

[Jacob Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/)

> [A wife, a lover, can perhaps never see what the artist sees They rarely ever do. Perhaps a really mediocre artist has more chance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/a-wife-a-lover-can-perhaps-never-see-what-the-artist-sees-they-rarely/)

[Jacob Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/)

> [My earliest recollections are of the teeming East Side where I was born. This Hester Street and its surrounding streets were the most densely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/my-earliest-recollections-are-of-the-teeming-east-side-where-i-was/)

[Jacob Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/)

> [Early on I saw the plastic quality in colored people and had friends among them; and later was to work from colored models and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/early-on-i-saw-the-plastic-quality-in-colored-people-and-had-friends/)

[Jacob Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/)

> [My reading and drawing drew me away from the ordinary interests, and I lived a great deal in the world of imagination, feeding upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/my-reading-and-drawing-drew-me-away-from-the-ordinary-interests-and-i/)

[Jacob Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/)

> [Why dont they stick to murder and leave art to us?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/why-dont-they-stick-to-murder-and-leave-art-to-us/)

[Jacob Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/)

> [The artist is the world's scapegoat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/the-artist-is-the-world-s-scapegoat/)

[Jacob Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/)

> [My parents did not discourage me but could not understand how I could make a living by art. Their idea of an artist was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/my-parents-did-not-discourage-me-but-could-not-understand-how-i-could/)

[Jacob Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/)

> [The artist who imagines that he puts his best into a portrait in order to produce something good, which will be a pleasure to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/the-artist-who-imagines-that-he-puts-his-best-into-a-portrait-in/)

[Jacob Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/)

> [To accuse me of making sensations is the easiest way of attacking me, and in reality leaves the question of sculpture untouched.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/to-accuse-me-of-making-sensations-is-the-easiest-way-of-attacking-me/)

[Jacob Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/)

> [There are infinite modes of expression in the world of art, and to insist that only by one road can the artist attain his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/there-are-infinite-modes-of-expression-in-the-world-of-art-and-to/)

[Jacob Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/)

> [To think of abstraction as an end in itself is undoubtedly letting oneself be led into a cul-de-sac and can only lead to exhaustion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/to-think-of-abstraction-as-an-end-in-itself-is-undoubtedly-letting/)

[Jacob Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/)

> [I remember my father, who was 'somebody' in the synagogue, bringing home with him one of the poor men who waited outside to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/i-remember-my-father-who-was-somebody-in-the-synagogue-bringing-home/)

[Jacob Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/)

> [I have never found out that there was in my family an artist or anyone interested in the arts or sciences, and I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/i-have-never-found-out-that-there-was-in-my-family-an-artist-or/)

[Jacob Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/)

> [I cannot recall a period when I did not draw; and at school, the studies that were distasteful to me, mathematics and grammar, were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/i-cannot-recall-a-period-when-i-did-not-draw-and-at-school-the/)

[Jacob Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/)

[Explore all 17 Jacob Epstein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/)

## 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 sculptor is supposed to be a dull dog anyway, so why should he not break out in colour sometimes, and in my case I'd as soon be hanged for a sheep as a lamb.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jacob Epstein"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/a-sculptor-is-supposed-to-be-a-dull-dog-anyway-so-why-should-he-not/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Artist"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/a-sculptor-is-supposed-to-be-a-dull-dog-anyway-so-why-should-he-not/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21e/jacob-epstein-30772_break_a-sculptor-is-supposed-to-be-a-dull-dog_1229444.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21e/jacob-epstein-30772_break_a-sculptor-is-supposed-to-be-a-dull-dog_1229444.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21e/jacob-epstein-30772_break_a-sculptor-is-supposed-to-be-a-dull-dog_1229444.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A sculptor is supposed to be a dull dog anyway, so why should he not break out in colour sometimes, and in…” — Jacob Epstein",
                "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": "Jacob Epstein",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "A sculptor is supposed to be...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/a-sculptor-is-supposed-to-be-a-dull-dog-anyway-so-why-should-he-not/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/a-sculptor-is-supposed-to-be-a-dull-dog-anyway-so-why-should-he-not/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```