---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Inspiration,' the false artist says, 'it…"
description: "\"“Inspiration,' the false artist says, 'it just comes to me.' And it shows. His pictures are as like as the four walls of his room -- morning, evening, ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/217/kurt-schwitters-29771_art_inspiration-the-false-artist-says-it-jus_2376088.jpg"
---

#  Inspiration,' the false artist says, 'it just comes to…

![“Inspiration,' the false artist says, 'it just comes to me.' And it shows. His pictures are as like as the four walls of his room -- morning, evening, midnight, noon. For myself, I have to search for it. The whole world is your palate, but only if you reach, take hold of what you need and pocket it.” quote by Kurt Schwitters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/217/kurt-schwitters-29771_art_inspiration-the-false-artist-says-it-jus_2376088.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/217/kurt-schwitters-29771_art_inspiration-the-false-artist-says-it-jus_2376088.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/217/kurt-schwitters-29771_art_inspiration-the-false-artist-says-it-jus_2376088.jpg)

> ““Inspiration,' the false artist says, 'it just comes to me.' And it shows. His pictures are as like as the four walls of his room -- morning, evening, midnight, noon. For myself, I have to search for it. The whole world is your palate, but only if you reach, take hold of what you need and pocket it.””

[Kurt Schwitters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-schwitters/)

## About This Quote

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

The speaker critiques passive inspiration, urging active searching and seizing creative material from the world.

**In simple terms:** Don’t wait for inspiration; actively seek and capture ideas.

Key Takeaway

Actively pursue inspiration rather than waiting.

Themes

creativity active pursuit mindfulness

Mood

reflective motivational

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- artistic practice
- writing sessions
- design brainstorming

Key Concepts

inspiration search capture

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you actively seek inspiration?
- What does “pocketing” ideas mean to you?

A Different Perspective

Passive waiting may limit output.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Evening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evening/) [Four walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/four-walls/) [Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration/) [Midnight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/midnight/) [Morning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morning/) [Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wall/) [Whole world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole-world/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [The most inspiring thing as an artist is when someone says, 'I believe in you'; sometimes that works even better than Grammys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristian-bush/the-most-inspiring-thing-as-an-artist-is-when-someone-says-i-believe/)

[Kristian Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristian-bush/)

> [The businessman says 'If I don't do it first, somebody else will.' The artist says 'If I don't do it first, nobody else will.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-neiman/the-businessman-says-if-i-don-t-do-it-first-somebody-else-will-the/)

[LeRoy Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-neiman/)

> [“If the work comes to the artist and says, 'Here I am, serve me,' then the job of the artist, great or small, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/if-the-work-comes-to-the-artist-and-says-here-i-am-serve-me-then-the/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [Every artist says that he/she wants to do something challenging, and I'm not any different. If someone approaches me with a serious role, I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapil-sharma/every-artist-says-that-he-she-wants-to-do-something-challenging-and-i/)

[Kapil Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapil-sharma/)

> [An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/an-intellectual-says-a-simple-thing-in-a-hard-way-an-artist-says-a/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [A painting is finished when the artist says it is finished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rembrandt/a-painting-is-finished-when-the-artist-says-it-is-finished/)

[Rembrandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rembrandt/)

> [I believe that each work of art, whether it is a work of great genius, or something very small, comes to the artist and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/i-believe-that-each-work-of-art-whether-it-is-a-work-of-great-genius/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [“What is art? It is not decoration. It is the re-living of experience. The artist says, 'I will make that event happen again, altering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/what-is-art-it-is-not-decoration-it-is-the-re-living-of-experience-2/)

[Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/)

> [Anything is art if an artist says it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/anything-is-art-if-an-artist-says-it-is/)

[Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/)

> [There's no need to believe what an artist says. Believe what he does; that's what counts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hockney/there-s-no-need-to-believe-what-an-artist-says-believe-what-he-does/)

[David Hockney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hockney/)

> [“The artist is a servant who is willing to be a birthgiver. In a very real sense the artist (male or female) should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/the-artist-is-a-servant-who-is-willing-to-be-a-birthgiver-in-a-very/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [There's a good many pictures I'd like to make; we'll see how many I'll be allowed to make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrence-malick/there-s-a-good-many-pictures-i-d-like-to-make-we-ll-see-how-many-i-ll/)

[Terrence Malick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrence-malick/)

> [I'll never have enough time to paint all the pictures I'd like to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-rockwell/i-ll-never-have-enough-time-to-paint-all-the-pictures-i-d-like-to/)

[Norman Rockwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-rockwell/)

> [Saying a camera takes nice pictures is like saying a guitar plays nice melodies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-rowse/saying-a-camera-takes-nice-pictures-is-like-saying-a-guitar-plays/)

[Darren Rowse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-rowse/)

> [“And there in the snow lay the pictures, like jewels bedded in white silk. They were paper-thin sheets of colored transparent isin glass of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ende/and-there-in-the-snow-lay-the-pictures-like-jewels-bedded-in-white/)

[Michael Ende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ende/)

## More by Kurt Schwitters

> [A game played with serious problems. That's what art is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-schwitters/a-game-played-with-serious-problems-that-s-what-art-is/)

[Kurt Schwitters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-schwitters/)

> [My name is Kurt Schwitters... I am an artist and I nail my pictures together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-schwitters/my-name-is-kurt-schwitters-i-am-an-artist-and-i-nail-my-pictures/)

[Kurt Schwitters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-schwitters/)

> [This is what is known as perspective, and it is a swindle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-schwitters/this-is-what-is-known-as-perspective-and-it-is-a-swindle/)

[Kurt Schwitters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-schwitters/)

> [The medium is as unimportant as I myself. Essential is only the forming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-schwitters/the-medium-is-as-unimportant-as-i-myself-essential-is-only-the-forming/)

[Kurt Schwitters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-schwitters/)

> [Invest your money in Dada! Dada is the only savings bank that pays interest in the hereafter!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-schwitters/invest-your-money-in-dada-dada-is-the-only-savings-bank-that-pays/)

[Kurt Schwitters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-schwitters/)

> [When I adjust materials of different kinds to one another, I have taken a step in advance of mere oil painting, for in addition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-schwitters/when-i-adjust-materials-of-different-kinds-to-one-another-i-have/)

[Kurt Schwitters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-schwitters/)

> [My name is Schwitters, Kurt Schwitters... I'm a painter and I nail my pictures... I'd like to be accepted into the Dada Club](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-schwitters/my-name-is-schwitters-kurt-schwitters-i-m-a-painter-and-i-nail-my/)

[Kurt Schwitters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-schwitters/)

> [I could see no reason why used tram tickets, bits of driftwood, buttons and old junk from attics and rubbish heaps should not serve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-schwitters/i-could-see-no-reason-why-used-tram-tickets-bits-of-driftwood-buttons/)

[Kurt Schwitters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-schwitters/)

> [“Eternity is the best policy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-schwitters/eternity-is-the-best-policy/)

[Kurt Schwitters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-schwitters/)

> [New things had to be made out of fragments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-schwitters/new-things-had-to-be-made-out-of-fragments/)

[Kurt Schwitters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-schwitters/)

> [Everything an artist spits is art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-schwitters/everything-an-artist-spits-is-art/)

[Kurt Schwitters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-schwitters/)

> [The picture is a self-sufficient work of art. It is not connected to anything outside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-schwitters/the-picture-is-a-self-sufficient-work-of-art-it-is-not-connected-to/)

[Kurt Schwitters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-schwitters/)

> [When I adjust materials of different kinds to one another, I have taken a step in advance of mere oil painting, for in addition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-schwitters/when-i-adjust-materials-of-different-kinds-to-one-another-i-have-2/)

[Kurt Schwitters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-schwitters/)

> [Art is a spiritual function of man, which aims at freeing him from life's chaos. Art is free in the use of its means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-schwitters/art-is-a-spiritual-function-of-man-which-aims-at-freeing-him-from/)

[Kurt Schwitters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-schwitters/)

> [Merz art strives for immediate expression by shortening the path from intuition to visual manifestation of the artwork... they will receive my new work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-schwitters/merz-art-strives-for-immediate-expression-by-shortening-the-path-from/)

[Kurt Schwitters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-schwitters/)

[Explore all 17 Kurt Schwitters quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-schwitters/)

## 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": "“Inspiration,' the false artist says, 'it just comes to me.' And it shows. His pictures are as like as the four walls of his room -- morning, evening, midnight, noon. For myself, I have to search for it. The whole world is your palate, but only if you reach, take hold of what you need and pocket it.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Kurt Schwitters"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-schwitters/inspiration-the-false-artist-says-it-just-comes-to-me-and-it-shows/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-schwitters/inspiration-the-false-artist-says-it-just-comes-to-me-and-it-shows/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/217/kurt-schwitters-29771_art_inspiration-the-false-artist-says-it-jus_2376088.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/217/kurt-schwitters-29771_art_inspiration-the-false-artist-says-it-jus_2376088.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/217/kurt-schwitters-29771_art_inspiration-the-false-artist-says-it-jus_2376088.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Inspiration,' the false artist says, 'it just comes to me.' And it shows. His pictures are as like as the…” — Kurt Schwitters",
                "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": "Kurt Schwitters",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-schwitters/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Inspiration,' the false artist says, 'it...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-schwitters/inspiration-the-false-artist-says-it-just-comes-to-me-and-it-shows/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-schwitters/inspiration-the-false-artist-says-it-just-comes-to-me-and-it-shows/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
