--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The life of a chess master is much more…" description: "\"The life of a chess master is much more difficult than that of an artist - much more depressing. An artist knows that someday there'll be recognition a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/773/marcel-duchamp-2390_accepted_the-life-of-a-chess-master-is-much-more_1188815.jpg" --- # The life of a chess master is much more difficult than… ![“The life of a chess master is much more difficult than that of an artist - much more depressing. An artist knows that someday there'll be recognition and monetary reward, but for the chess master there is little public recognition and absolutely no hope of supporting himself by his endeavors. If…” quote by Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/773/marcel-duchamp-2390_accepted_the-life-of-a-chess-master-is-much-more_1188815.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/773/marcel-duchamp-2390_accepted_the-life-of-a-chess-master-is-much-more_1188815.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/773/marcel-duchamp-2390_accepted_the-life-of-a-chess-master-is-much-more_1188815.jpg) > “The life of a chess master is much more difficult than that of an artist - much more depressing. An artist knows that someday there'll be recognition and monetary reward, but for the chess master there is little public recognition and absolutely no hope of supporting himself by his endeavors. If Bobby Fischer came to me for advice, I certainly would not discourage him - as if anyone could - but I would try to make it positively clear that he will never have any money from chess, live a monk-like existence and know more rejection than any artist ever has, struggling to be known and accepted.” [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Chess mastery offers little public acclaim or financial reward, unlike art, leading to a solitary, often unrewarding life. **In simple terms:** Chess gives fame and money; art gives hope. Key Takeaway Accept the limits of your field. Themes art chess recognition loneliness career Mood melancholy reflective Type critical philosophical When to use this quote - professional chess - creative pursuits - financial planning - mental health - career counseling Key Concepts existentialism social value artist identity Questions to Reflect On - Can you find fulfillment beyond external validation? - How might society better support niche talents? A Different Perspective Even with talent, external structures may deny success. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accepted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accepted/) [Advice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advice/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Bobby Fischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bobby-fischer/) [Chess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chess/) [Chess Master](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chess-master-477165/) [Clear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clear/) [Depressing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depressing/) [Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/) [Difficult Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult-artist-1308230/) [Discouraging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discouraging/) [Endeavor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endeavor/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Fischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fischer/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Known](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/known/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Chess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-chess-670828/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Master Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/master-difficult-3519451/) [Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masters/) [Monetary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monetary/) [Monk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monk/) [No hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/no-hope/) [Positively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positively/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Recognition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recognition/) [Rejection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rejection/) [Rewards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rewards/) [Someday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/someday/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) ## Related quotes > [I used to play a lot of chess and competitive chess and study chess and as you get to the grandmasters and learn their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/i-used-to-play-a-lot-of-chess-and-competitive-chess-and-study-chess/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) > [I like to say that Bobby Fischer was the greatest player ever. But what made Fischer a genius was his ability to blend an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-pandolfini/i-like-to-say-that-bobby-fischer-was-the-greatest-player-ever-but/) [Bruce Pandolfini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-pandolfini/) > [Bobby Fischer's current state of mind is indeed a tragedy. One of the worlds greatest Chess players - the pride and sorrow of American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-brady/bobby-fischer-s-current-state-of-mind-is-indeed-a-tragedy-one-of-the/) [Frank Brady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-brady/) > [Bobby Fischer has an enormous knowledge of chess and his familiarity with the chess literature of the USSR is immense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-spassky/bobby-fischer-has-an-enormous-knowledge-of-chess-and-his-familiarity/) [Boris Spassky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-spassky/) > [You want to know what I want? I'll tell you what I want. I want back what Bobby Fischer took with him when he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-kingsley/you-want-to-know-what-i-want-i-ll-tell-you-what-i-want-i-want-back/) [Ben Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-kingsley/) > [When I played Bobby Fischer, my opponent fought against organizations - the television producers and the match organizers. But he never fought against me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-spassky/when-i-played-bobby-fischer-my-opponent-fought-against-organizations/) [Boris Spassky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-spassky/) > [Nowadays, a 13-year-old would probably know more than Bobby Fischer knew when he retired. They analyse all the moves and prepare themselves on their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-kasparov/nowadays-a-13-year-old-would-probably-know-more-than-bobby-fischer/) [Garry Kasparov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-kasparov/) > [ What I admired most about him \[Bobby Fischer\] was his ability to make what was in fact so difficult look easy to us. I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magnus-carlsen/what-i-admired-most-about-him-bobby-fischer-was-his-ability-to-make/) [Magnus Carlsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magnus-carlsen/) > [My God, Bobby Fischer plays so simply](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexey-suetin/my-god-bobby-fischer-plays-so-simply/) [Alexey Suetin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexey-suetin/) > [What is chess, do you think? Those who play for fun or not at all dismiss it as a game. The ones who devote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-kingsley/what-is-chess-do-you-think-those-who-play-for-fun-or-not-at-all/) [Ben Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-kingsley/) > [Bobby Fischer started off each game with a great advantage: after the opening he had used less time than his opponent and thus had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmar-mednis/bobby-fischer-started-off-each-game-with-a-great-advantage-after-the/) [Edmar Mednis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmar-mednis/) > [Bobby Fischer is the greatest Chess genius of all time!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-kotov/bobby-fischer-is-the-greatest-chess-genius-of-all-time/) [Alexander Kotov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-kotov/) > [In complicated positions, Bobby Fischer hardly had to be afraid of anybody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-keres/in-complicated-positions-bobby-fischer-hardly-had-to-be-afraid-of/) [Paul Keres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-keres/) > [It was clear to me that the vulnerable point of the American Grandmaster (Bobby Fischer) was in double-edged, hanging, irrational positions, where he often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/efim-geller/it-was-clear-to-me-that-the-vulnerable-point-of-the-american/) [Efim Geller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/efim-geller/) > [Bobby Fischer was hugely important for the American chess community because it put chess on the map - he made it possible for other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-garbus/bobby-fischer-was-hugely-important-for-the-american-chess-community/) [Liz Garbus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-garbus/) ## More by Marcel Duchamp > [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/) > [Humor is the only reason to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/humor-is-the-only-reason-to-live/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [Society takes what it wants. The artist himself does not count, because there is no actual existence for the work of art. The work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/society-takes-what-it-wants-the-artist-himself-does-not-count-because/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [The creative act is not performed by the artist alone; the spectator brings the work in contact with the external world by deciphering and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/the-creative-act-is-not-performed-by-the-artist-alone-the-spectator/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [I believe that the artist doesn't know what he does. 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No translation can express…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/rational-intelligence-is-dangerous-and-leads-to-ratiocination-the/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [Everything important that I have done can be put into a little suitcase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/everything-important-that-i-have-done-can-be-put-into-a-little/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [As soon as we start putting our thoughts into words and sentences everything gets distorted, language is just no damn good—I use it because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/as-soon-as-we-start-putting-our-thoughts-into-words-and-sentences/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [The basis for my own work during the years just before coming to America in 1915 was a desire to break up forms -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/the-basis-for-my-own-work-during-the-years-just-before-coming-to/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [The curious thing about that moustache and goatee is that when you look at the Mona Lisa it becomes a man. 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