--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whatever the medium, if you have great…" description: "\"Whatever the medium, if you have great taste and not very much skill, you can still make something great.\" — Kemp Muhl" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cca/kemp-muhl-12945_ifs_whatever-the-medium-if-you-have-great-ta_1691499.jpg" --- # Whatever the medium, if you have great taste and not very… ![“Whatever the medium, if you have great taste and not very much skill, you can still make something great.” quote by Kemp Muhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cca/kemp-muhl-12945_ifs_whatever-the-medium-if-you-have-great-ta_1691499.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cca/kemp-muhl-12945_ifs_whatever-the-medium-if-you-have-great-ta_1691499.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cca/kemp-muhl-12945_ifs_whatever-the-medium-if-you-have-great-ta_1691499.jpg) > “Whatever the medium, if you have great taste and not very much skill, you can still make something great.” [Kemp Muhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemp-muhl/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Great taste can compensate for limited skill, allowing a work to achieve excellence despite technical shortcomings. **In simple terms:** Good taste can make mediocre skill look great. Key Takeaway Focus on developing a strong aesthetic sense. Themes aesthetic judgment creativity skill vs. taste Mood critical practical Type advice motivational When to use this quote - artistic projects - fashion design - interior décor Key Concepts taste over technique design intuition Questions to Reflect On - Can you improve skill to match your taste? - What role does effort play in achieving greatness? A Different Perspective Relying solely on taste may lead to superficial results without depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Make Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-great/) [Medium](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medium/) [Medium Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medium-great-1059963/) [Mediums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mediums/) [Skill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skill/) [Skills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skills/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Taste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taste/) [Taste Skill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taste-skill-1059962/) ## Related quotes > [The industry is s\*\*t, it's the medium that's great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-bacall/the-industry-is-s-t-it-s-the-medium-that-s-great/) [Lauren Bacall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-bacall/) > [Movies are now more often watched on the small screen anyway. But at least for me, what got lost in that is the difference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/movies-are-now-more-often-watched-on-the-small-screen-anyway-but-at/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) > [I came from a Hindi medium school... the principal felt that I would not fit into an English medium college. Though I was top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lakshmi-mittal/i-came-from-a-hindi-medium-school-the-principal-felt-that-i-would-not/) [Lakshmi Mittal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lakshmi-mittal/) > [I believe that music is a force in itself. It is there and it needs an outlet, a medium. 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And ah, I'm a musician, I'm a director, I'm a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jackson/i-m-a-person-of-the-arts-i-love-the-arts-very-very-very-much-and-ah-i/) [Michael Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jackson/) > [Television is such a mediocre medium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-montgomery/television-is-such-a-mediocre-medium/) [Elizabeth Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-montgomery/) > [Film is an editor's medium. You can create very good raw material and they can make it horrible, or you can do not so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/film-is-an-editor-s-medium-you-can-create-very-good-raw-material-and/) [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) > [They call television a medium because nothing's well done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goodman-ace/they-call-television-a-medium-because-nothing-s-well-done/) [Goodman Ace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goodman-ace/) > [Aggression is not a breed thing. Its a state of mind, and it comes from how the human is with the dog. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-millan/aggression-is-not-a-breed-thing-its-a-state-of-mind-and-it-comes-from/) [Cesar Millan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-millan/) > [Every medium has its advantages and weaknesses and there are many things I can put down on paper that I might not be able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/every-medium-has-its-advantages-and-weaknesses-and-there-are-many/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [Short fiction is the medium I love the most, because it requires that I bring everything I've learned about poetry - the concision, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rash/short-fiction-is-the-medium-i-love-the-most-because-it-requires-that/) [Ron Rash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rash/) > [No medium is more limited than any other. It's what a person does with it. We could talk about the differences between music and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-henson/no-medium-is-more-limited-than-any-other-it-s-what-a-person-does-with/) [Bill Henson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-henson/) > [Every medium has its own kind of freedom. I don't want to just cross from one to the next. I want to enjoy the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/takashi-miike/every-medium-has-its-own-kind-of-freedom-i-don-t-want-to-just-cross/) [Takashi Miike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/takashi-miike/) > [The happy medium is television. And if you find a good suitor, you can do it for years. With movies, you roll the dice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-campbell/the-happy-medium-is-television-and-if-you-find-a-good-suitor-you-can/) [Bruce Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-campbell/) ## More by Kemp Muhl > [We want to return to an era when we think music was better basically but still infuse it with something modern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemp-muhl/we-want-to-return-to-an-era-when-we-think-music-was-better-basically/) [Kemp Muhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemp-muhl/) > [I want to be riding with the Four Horsemen!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemp-muhl/i-want-to-be-riding-with-the-four-horsemen/) [Kemp Muhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemp-muhl/) > [There's room for many definitions of masculinity in the modern era.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemp-muhl/there-s-room-for-many-definitions-of-masculinity-in-the-modern-era/) [Kemp Muhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemp-muhl/) > [When it comes to touch and feel as a musician, style is infinitely more important than chops.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemp-muhl/when-it-comes-to-touch-and-feel-as-a-musician-style-is-infinitely/) [Kemp Muhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemp-muhl/) > [When I was young I had this blonde haircut that was shaved on one side with a rat tail and tram lines in it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemp-muhl/when-i-was-young-i-had-this-blonde-haircut-that-was-shaved-on-one/) [Kemp Muhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemp-muhl/) > [I started off liking uptight music and then discovered Pink Floyd and Hendrix.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemp-muhl/i-started-off-liking-uptight-music-and-then-discovered-pink-floyd-and/) [Kemp Muhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemp-muhl/) > [Give me PVC, not P.C.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemp-muhl/give-me-pvc-not-p-c/) [Kemp Muhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemp-muhl/) > [Glitter is cool because that's like glam rock, but rhinestones need to die out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemp-muhl/glitter-is-cool-because-that-s-like-glam-rock-but-rhinestones-need-to/) [Kemp Muhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemp-muhl/) > [Because I'm a little ADD, I would like to incorporate even more facets to my career eventually, such as writing and directing films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemp-muhl/because-i-m-a-little-add-i-would-like-to-incorporate-even-more-facets/) [Kemp Muhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemp-muhl/) > [Sean and I are fighting so many cliches, it's funny. But ultimately we just want to play people the songs we wrote while we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemp-muhl/sean-and-i-are-fighting-so-many-cliches-it-s-funny-but-ultimately-we/) [Kemp Muhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemp-muhl/) > [You have to be kind of sensitive to be in rock and roll.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemp-muhl/you-have-to-be-kind-of-sensitive-to-be-in-rock-and-roll/) [Kemp Muhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemp-muhl/) > [The trend that should definitely die is following trends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemp-muhl/the-trend-that-should-definitely-die-is-following-trends/) [Kemp Muhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemp-muhl/) > [My father is a retired army colonel, and my family is into hunting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemp-muhl/my-father-is-a-retired-army-colonel-and-my-family-is-into-hunting/) [Kemp Muhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemp-muhl/) > [We love creating these fantastical worlds, and that really comes from things like 'Strawberry Fields Forever' and 'I Am The Walrus.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemp-muhl/we-love-creating-these-fantastical-worlds-and-that-really-comes-from/) [Kemp Muhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemp-muhl/) > [My guilty pleasure is Simon & Garfunkel. I'm embarrassed about it. They're dorky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemp-muhl/my-guilty-pleasure-is-simon-garfunkel-i-m-embarrassed-about-it-they/) [Kemp Muhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemp-muhl/) [Explore all 52 Kemp Muhl quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemp-muhl/) ## More Ifs quotes > [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/) [Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/) > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/) [Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/) > [If I don't have pressure, I don't function.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/if-i-don-t-have-pressure-i-don-t-function/) [Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/) > [If you restore a car, and you're making money, then you're doing it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/if-you-restore-a-car-and-you-re-making-money-then-you-re-doing-it/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [If we gave up our freedom as the price of security, we would no longer be the great nation that we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/if-we-gave-up-our-freedom-as-the-price-of-security-we-would-no-longer/) [Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-sarabhai/but-we-are-convinced-that-if-we-are-to-play-a-meaningful-role/) [Vikram Sarabhai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-sarabhai/) > [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) [Browse all 94,303 Ifs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Whatever the medium, if you have great taste and not very much skill, you can still make something great.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kemp Muhl" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemp-muhl/whatever-the-medium-if-you-have-great-taste-and-not-very-much-skill/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ifs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemp-muhl/whatever-the-medium-if-you-have-great-taste-and-not-very-much-skill/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cca/kemp-muhl-12945_ifs_whatever-the-medium-if-you-have-great-ta_1691499.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cca/kemp-muhl-12945_ifs_whatever-the-medium-if-you-have-great-ta_1691499.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cca/kemp-muhl-12945_ifs_whatever-the-medium-if-you-have-great-ta_1691499.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Whatever the medium, if you have great taste and not very much skill, you can still make something great.” — Kemp Muhl", "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": "Kemp Muhl", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemp-muhl/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Whatever the medium, if you have...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemp-muhl/whatever-the-medium-if-you-have-great-taste-and-not-very-much-skill/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemp-muhl/whatever-the-medium-if-you-have-great-taste-and-not-very-much-skill/#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 } } ] } ```