--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you cut a painter's hands off, he'd…" description: "\"If you cut a painter's hands off, he'd still feel the urge to pick up a brush.\" — Jil Sander" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a0/jil-sander-24414_artist_if-you-cut-a-painter-s-hands-off-he-d-st_1612354.png" --- # If you cut a painter's hands off, he'd still feel the urge… ![“If you cut a painter's hands off, he'd still feel the urge to pick up a brush.” quote by Jil Sander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a0/jil-sander-24414_artist_if-you-cut-a-painter-s-hands-off-he-d-st_1612354.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a0/jil-sander-24414_artist_if-you-cut-a-painter-s-hands-off-he-d-st_1612354.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a0/jil-sander-24414_artist_if-you-cut-a-painter-s-hands-off-he-d-st_1612354.png) > “If you cut a painter's hands off, he'd still feel the urge to pick up a brush.” [Jil Sander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jil-sander/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even if a painter loses his hands, his creative impulse persists, showing art is driven by mind, not just physical ability. **In simple terms:** Creativity lives beyond physical limits. Key Takeaway Cultivate the creative mindset. Themes art creativity resilience Mood inspirational thoughtful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - design work - writing - musical composition Key Concepts intrinsic motivation artistic identity Questions to Reflect On - How do you nurture creativity without tools? - What drives you beyond skill? A Different Perspective Physical loss can hinder but not extinguish creative drive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Painter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painter/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) ## Related quotes > [When you don't know how to pick up a brush, you don't know anything; at that moment you're an artist. I'll simply say, 'If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-resnick/when-you-don-t-know-how-to-pick-up-a-brush-you-don-t-know-anything-at/) [Milton Resnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-resnick/) > [“I think deep down I'm a painter, but my hands just don't know how to move to capture the beauty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wasabi-wheathins/i-think-deep-down-i-m-a-painter-but-my-hands-just-don-t-know-how-to/) Wasabi Wheathins > [wash the brush, just beats the devil out of it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-ross/wash-the-brush-just-beats-the-devil-out-of-it/) [Bob Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-ross/) > [Do not draw before you paint, it will restrict your brush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-onley/do-not-draw-before-you-paint-it-will-restrict-your-brush/) [Toni Onley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-onley/) > [I can't even find the perfect brush so I can paint what's going through my mind. Racing 'gainst myself but I'm a couple steps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/i-can-t-even-find-the-perfect-brush-so-i-can-paint-what-s-going/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [No need to fix what God already put his paint brush on](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-need-to-fix-what-god-already-put-his-paint-brush-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Grain is the brush stroke of photography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constantine-manos/grain-is-the-brush-stroke-of-photography/) [Constantine Manos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constantine-manos/) > [I looked long and carefully at the picture of a stag painted by Landseer - the style was good, and the brush was handled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-james-audubon/i-looked-long-and-carefully-at-the-picture-of-a-stag-painted-by/) [John James Audubon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-james-audubon/) > [Give the paint a chance. Give the brush a chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-marin/give-the-paint-a-chance-give-the-brush-a-chance/) [John Marin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marin/) > [I do a chimichurri sauce with garlic, parsley, olive oil, and red and black pepper. You just mince the garlic and the parsley and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-gonzalo/i-do-a-chimichurri-sauce-with-garlic-parsley-olive-oil-and-red-and/) [Julie Gonzalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-gonzalo/) > [Dreams form the bristles of the artist's brush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arshile-gorky/dreams-form-the-bristles-of-the-artist-s-brush/) [Arshile Gorky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arshile-gorky/) > [The more you paint the more fluent you are with your brush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/igor-babailov/the-more-you-paint-the-more-fluent-you-are-with-your-brush/) [Igor Babailov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/igor-babailov/) > [Take your brush here and there like a bee in an alpine meadow. In other words, don't laboriously work on or try to finish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/take-your-brush-here-and-there-like-a-bee-in-an-alpine-meadow-in/) [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) > [My whole philosophy in survival is to take down brush as soon as you get in a situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-teti/my-whole-philosophy-in-survival-is-to-take-down-brush-as-soon-as-you/) [Joe Teti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-teti/) > [Our fans have been branded with the same brush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-atkinson/our-fans-have-been-branded-with-the-same-brush/) [Ron Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-atkinson/) ## More by Jil Sander > [You don't have to pay more to have a great form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jil-sander/you-don-t-have-to-pay-more-to-have-a-great-form/) [Jil Sander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jil-sander/) > [It may sound ambitious, but I really hope that modern design will spread all around the globe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jil-sander/it-may-sound-ambitious-but-i-really-hope-that-modern-design-will/) [Jil Sander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jil-sander/) > [We look our best in subdued colors, sophisticated cuts, and a general air of sleek understatement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jil-sander/we-look-our-best-in-subdued-colors-sophisticated-cuts-and-a-general/) [Jil Sander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jil-sander/) > [In the end, you can' t talk to everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jil-sander/in-the-end-you-can-t-talk-to-everyone/) [Jil Sander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jil-sander/) > [I think there is always a need for pure design. With pure design, you don't need so much decoration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jil-sander/i-think-there-is-always-a-need-for-pure-design-with-pure-design-you/) [Jil Sander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jil-sander/) > [If I had the power, I would ban leggings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jil-sander/if-i-had-the-power-i-would-ban-leggings/) [Jil Sander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jil-sander/) > [I like femininity, not of the devout, but of the self-assured, cool and sophisticated kind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jil-sander/i-like-femininity-not-of-the-devout-but-of-the-self-assured-cool-and/) [Jil Sander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jil-sander/) > [I have a lot of fantasy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jil-sander/i-have-a-lot-of-fantasy/) [Jil Sander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jil-sander/) > [The apparent pointlessness of fashion may be just what makes it so strong as a zeitgeist sensor. Even I, a designer, do not know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jil-sander/the-apparent-pointlessness-of-fashion-may-be-just-what-makes-it-so/) [Jil Sander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jil-sander/) > [The '90s were extremely diverse, almost like a laboratory of the new century. There was much experimenting around, in politics, economics, gender and family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jil-sander/the-90s-were-extremely-diverse-almost-like-a-laboratory-of-the-new/) [Jil Sander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jil-sander/) > [One glass of water doesn't equal another. One may just appease the thirst, the other you may enjoy thoroughly. In Japan, people know about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jil-sander/one-glass-of-water-doesn-t-equal-another-one-may-just-appease-the/) [Jil Sander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jil-sander/) > [I am convinced that there can be luxury in simplicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jil-sander/i-am-convinced-that-there-can-be-luxury-in-simplicity/) [Jil Sander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jil-sander/) > [The market is like a language, and you have to be able to understand what they're saying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jil-sander/the-market-is-like-a-language-and-you-have-to-be-able-to-understand/) [Jil Sander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jil-sander/) > [I try as much as possible to give you a great basic product and what comes out, I feel, is really amazing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jil-sander/i-try-as-much-as-possible-to-give-you-a-great-basic-product-and-what/) [Jil Sander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jil-sander/) > [Life is full of challenges and surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jil-sander/life-is-full-of-challenges-and-surprises/) [Jil Sander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jil-sander/) [Explore all 24 Jil Sander quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jil-sander/) ## 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": "If you cut a painter's hands off, he'd still feel the urge to pick up a brush.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jil Sander" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jil-sander/if-you-cut-a-painter-s-hands-off-he-d-still-feel-the-urge-to-pick-up/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jil-sander/if-you-cut-a-painter-s-hands-off-he-d-still-feel-the-urge-to-pick-up/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a0/jil-sander-24414_artist_if-you-cut-a-painter-s-hands-off-he-d-st_1612354.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a0/jil-sander-24414_artist_if-you-cut-a-painter-s-hands-off-he-d-st_1612354.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a0/jil-sander-24414_artist_if-you-cut-a-painter-s-hands-off-he-d-st_1612354.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you cut a painter's hands off, he'd still feel the urge to pick up a brush.” — Jil Sander", "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": "Jil Sander", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jil-sander/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you cut a painter's hands...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jil-sander/if-you-cut-a-painter-s-hands-off-he-d-still-feel-the-urge-to-pick-up/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jil-sander/if-you-cut-a-painter-s-hands-off-he-d-still-feel-the-urge-to-pick-up/#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 } } ] } ```