--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The best reason to paint is that there is…" description: "\"The best reason to paint is that there is no reason to paint... I'd like to pretend that I've never seen anything, never read anything, never heard any..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/652/keith-haring-14071_art_the-best-reason-to-paint-is-that-there-i_1406965.jpg" --- # The best reason to paint is that there is no reason to… ![“The best reason to paint is that there is no reason to paint... I'd like to pretend that I've never seen anything, never read anything, never heard anything... and then make something... Every time I make something I think about the people who are going to see it and every time I see something, I…” quote by Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/652/keith-haring-14071_art_the-best-reason-to-paint-is-that-there-i_1406965.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/652/keith-haring-14071_art_the-best-reason-to-paint-is-that-there-i_1406965.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/652/keith-haring-14071_art_the-best-reason-to-paint-is-that-there-i_1406965.jpg) > “The best reason to paint is that there is no reason to paint... I'd like to pretend that I've never seen anything, never read anything, never heard anything... and then make something... Every time I make something I think about the people who are going to see it and every time I see something, I think about the person who made it... Nothing is important... so everything is important.” [Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Painting is driven by the lack of reason, embracing a paradox where nothing matters yet everything matters, reflecting on creator and viewer. **In simple terms:** Paradoxical meaning in art. Key Takeaway Create without needing justification. Themes art paradox meaning creation viewer Mood inspirational philosophical Type artistic reflective When to use this quote - studio practice - gallery exhibition - public murals Key Concepts existentialism aesthetics creativity Questions to Reflect On - What does “nothing is important” mean to you? - How does this view affect your creative process? A Different Perspective The paradox can confuse audiences seeking clear messages. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [The best reason to paint is that there is no reason to paint...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-haring/the-best-reason-to-paint-is-that-there-is-no-reason-to-paint/) [Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) > [I painted with acrylic paint, and the reason why I went to oil was mainly because I didn't control it. I was looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-oehlen/i-painted-with-acrylic-paint-and-the-reason-why-i-went-to-oil-was/) Albert Oehlen > [... a canvas that I have covered is worth more than a blank canvas. My pretensions go no further; that is my right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/a-canvas-that-i-have-covered-is-worth-more-than-a-blank-canvas-my/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) > [If I could say it in words there would be no reason to paint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hopper/if-i-could-say-it-in-words-there-would-be-no-reason-to-paint/) [Edward Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hopper/) > [If you could say it in words there would be no reason to paint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hopper/if-you-could-say-it-in-words-there-would-be-no-reason-to-paint/) [Edward Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hopper/) > [Being inspired with someone is the simplest and best reason why you find yourself smiling without a reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-inspired-with-someone-is-the-simplest-and-best-reason-why-you-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We should want to evangelize because of the joy that God puts in our hearts. Ultimately, that's the best reason for sharing our faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/we-should-want-to-evangelize-because-of-the-joy-that-god-puts-in-our/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [Law is nothing else but the best reason of wise men applied for ages to the transactions and business of mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/law-is-nothing-else-but-the-best-reason-of-wise-men-applied-for-ages/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [“The holy act of sex, my sex, done in your name, done for the only, the best reason. Because we want it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/the-holy-act-of-sex-my-sex-done-in-your-name-done-for-the-only-the/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [The best reason for listening to and learning from the poor is that this is one way God is revealed to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-janzen-longacre/the-best-reason-for-listening-to-and-learning-from-the-poor-is-that/) [Doris Janzen Longacre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-janzen-longacre/) > [The best reason for putting anything down on paper is that one may then change it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-devoto/the-best-reason-for-putting-anything-down-on-paper-is-that-one-may/) [Bernard DeVoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-devoto/) > [“The best reason to take your time is that this time is the only time you'll ever have.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-hallowell/the-best-reason-to-take-your-time-is-that-this-time-is-the-only-time/) [Edward M. Hallowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-hallowell/) > [There's No Need To Rush If Something Is Meant To Be, It Will Happen. At The Right Time, With The Right Person, At The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/there-s-no-need-to-rush-if-something-is-meant-to-be-it-will-happen-at/) Pacifiersucker > [Business fits me best. The only reason I went into modeling originally was to help out my family, because I knew that money gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-johnson/business-fits-me-best-the-only-reason-i-went-into-modeling-originally/) [Beverly Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-johnson/) > [“Because love was the best reason of all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-dickerson/because-love-was-the-best-reason-of-all/) [Melanie Dickerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-dickerson/) ## More by Keith Haring > [I don't think art is propaganda; it should be something that liberates the soul, provokes the imagination and encourages people to go further. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-haring/i-don-t-think-art-is-propaganda-it-should-be-something-that-liberates/) [Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) > [I think as much as possible, an artist, if he has any kind of social or political concern, has to…expose as much as possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-haring/i-think-as-much-as-possible-an-artist-if-he-has-any-kind-of-social-or/) [Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) > [“There is one question George is asked about life and art and which is more important, and George said art is more important because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-haring/there-is-one-question-george-is-asked-about-life-and-art-and-which-is/) [Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) > [The public needs art, and it is the responsibility of a ’self-proclaimed artist’ to realize the public needs art, and not to make bourgeois…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-haring/the-public-needs-art-and-it-is-the-responsibility-of-a-self/) [Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) > [See, when I paint, it is an experience that, at its best, is transcending reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-haring/see-when-i-paint-it-is-an-experience-that-at-its-best-is-transcending/) [Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) > [If commercialization is putting my art on a shirt so that a kid who can't afford a $30,000 painting can buy one, then I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-haring/if-commercialization-is-putting-my-art-on-a-shirt-so-that-a-kid-who/) [Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) > [The dripping... well, if it happens, it happens; it does not take anything from the work. The dripping just proves that you were not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-haring/the-dripping-well-if-it-happens-it-happens-it-does-not-take-anything/) [Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) > [The best reason to paint is that there is no reason to paint...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-haring/the-best-reason-to-paint-is-that-there-is-no-reason-to-paint/) [Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) > [Children are the bearers of life in its simplest and most joyous form. Children are color-blind and still free of all the complications, greed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-haring/children-are-the-bearers-of-life-in-its-simplest-and-most-joyous-form/) [Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) > [Nothing is important... so everything is important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-haring/nothing-is-important-so-everything-is-important/) [Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) > [Drawing is still basically the same as it has been since prehistoric times. It brings together man and the world. It lives through magic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-haring/drawing-is-still-basically-the-same-as-it-has-been-since-prehistoric/) [Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) > [There is nothing that makes me happier than making a child smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-haring/there-is-nothing-that-makes-me-happier-than-making-a-child-smile/) [Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) > [I didn't start doing graffiti until two years after I got to New York. Jean Michel Basquiat was one of my main inspirations for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-haring/i-didn-t-start-doing-graffiti-until-two-years-after-i-got-to-new-york/) [Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) > [“March 28, 1987: Today I read in the New York Times that all of the officers who killed Michael Stewart were again dismissed of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-haring/march-28-1987-today-i-read-in-the-new-york-times-that-all-of-the/) [Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) > [The act of creation is a kind of ritual. The origins of art and human existence lie hidden in this mystery of creation. Human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-haring/the-act-of-creation-is-a-kind-of-ritual-the-origins-of-art-and-human/) [Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) [Explore all 48 Keith Haring quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) ## 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": "The best reason to paint is that there is no reason to paint... 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