--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There does not exist a painter who knows…" description: "\"There does not exist a painter who knows himself or knows what he is doing.\" — Marcel Duchamp" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb4/marcel-duchamp-2390_artist_there-does-not-exist-a-painter-who-knows_2668523.jpg" --- # There does not exist a painter who knows himself or knows… ![“There does not exist a painter who knows himself or knows what he is doing.” quote by Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb4/marcel-duchamp-2390_artist_there-does-not-exist-a-painter-who-knows_2668523.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb4/marcel-duchamp-2390_artist_there-does-not-exist-a-painter-who-knows_2668523.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb4/marcel-duchamp-2390_artist_there-does-not-exist-a-painter-who-knows_2668523.jpg) > “There does not exist a painter who knows himself or knows what he is doing.” [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. Artists often lack self-awareness about their work. **In simple terms:** Artists may not know themselves. Key Takeaway Cultivate self-reflection in creation. Themes self-awareness art identity creativity humility Mood introspective analytical serious Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - studio practice - art critiques - personal journals Key Concepts existentialism meta-art psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can artists know themselves? - What limits self-awareness? A Different Perspective Self-knowledge is hard to achieve. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 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 > [A painter knows how to paint, but an artist knows when to stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jae-hill/a-painter-knows-how-to-paint-but-an-artist-knows-when-to-stop/) Jae Hill > [Anyone who tries to make a living as a painter knows you can't lounge about waiting for inspiration to hit; nothing motivates like keeping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-engle/anyone-who-tries-to-make-a-living-as-a-painter-knows-you-can-t-lounge/) Nita Engle > [A painter knows what to do by the tug of the brush as it pulls through a mixture of oils, and by the look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-elkins/a-painter-knows-what-to-do-by-the-tug-of-the-brush-as-it-pulls/) [James Elkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-elkins/) > [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/) > [“...If God really does exist, and is not just a myth, it must have consequence for the whole of life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-worth/if-god-really-does-exist-and-is-not-just-a-myth-it-must-have/) [Jennifer Worth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-worth/) > [God is necessary, and therefore must exist...But I know that he does not and cannot exist...Don't you understand that a man with these two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-is-necessary-and-therefore-must-exist-but-i-know-that-he-does-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Love, it does exist, believe it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devania-annesya/love-it-does-exist-believe-it/) [Devania Annesya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devania-annesya/) > [The supernatural does not exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-flammarion/the-supernatural-does-not-exist/) [Camille Flammarion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-flammarion/) > [Deadpool does not exist in any way, shape, or form without me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-liefeld/deadpool-does-not-exist-in-any-way-shape-or-form-without-me/) [Rob Liefeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-liefeld/) > [A man does not exist until he is drunk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/a-man-does-not-exist-until-he-is-drunk/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [A God who makes no demands, is the functional equivalent of a God who does not exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-todd-christofferson/a-god-who-makes-no-demands-is-the-functional-equivalent-of-a-god-who/) [D. Todd Christofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-todd-christofferson/) > [Don't be afraid of what you don't know coz it does not exist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-be-afraid-of-what-you-don-t-know-coz-it-does-not-exist/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The perfect striker does not exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jupp-heynckes/the-perfect-striker-does-not-exist/) [Jupp Heynckes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jupp-heynckes/) > [True relaxation, which would do me the world of good, does not exist for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-klimt/true-relaxation-which-would-do-me-the-world-of-good-does-not-exist/) [Gustav Klimt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-klimt/) > [“A higher power does exist. The forces of day-to-day reality seem to take hold and become the truth for you, yet truth is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-herrera/a-higher-power-does-exist-the-forces-of-day-to-day-reality-seem-to/) [Elizabeth Herrera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-herrera/) ## 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. I attach even more importance to the spectator than to the artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/i-believe-that-the-artist-doesn-t-know-what-he-does-i-attach-even/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [Living is more a question of what one spends than what one makes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/living-is-more-a-question-of-what-one-spends-than-what-one-makes/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [Rational intelligence is dangerous and leads to ratiocination. The painter is a medium who doesn't realize what he is doing. 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. It is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/the-curious-thing-about-that-moustache-and-goatee-is-that-when-you/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [I am afraid to end up being in need to sell canvases - in other words, to be a society painter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/i-am-afraid-to-end-up-being-in-need-to-sell-canvases-in-other-words/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [In the midst of each epoch, I fully realize that a new epoch will dawn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/in-the-midst-of-each-epoch-i-fully-realize-that-a-new-epoch-will-dawn/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [To all appearances the artist acts like a mediumistic being who, from the labyrinth beyond time and space, seeks his way out to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/to-all-appearances-the-artist-acts-like-a-mediumistic-being-who-from/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [Words such as truth, art, veracity, or anything are stupid in themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/words-such-as-truth-art-veracity-or-anything-are-stupid-in-themselves/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) [Explore all 169 Marcel Duchamp quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) ## 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": "There does not exist a painter who knows himself or knows what he is doing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marcel Duchamp" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/there-does-not-exist-a-painter-who-knows-himself-or-knows-what-he-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/there-does-not-exist-a-painter-who-knows-himself-or-knows-what-he-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb4/marcel-duchamp-2390_artist_there-does-not-exist-a-painter-who-knows_2668523.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb4/marcel-duchamp-2390_artist_there-does-not-exist-a-painter-who-knows_2668523.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb4/marcel-duchamp-2390_artist_there-does-not-exist-a-painter-who-knows_2668523.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There does not exist a painter who knows himself or knows what he is doing.” — Marcel Duchamp", "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": "Marcel Duchamp", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There does not exist a painter...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/there-does-not-exist-a-painter-who-knows-himself-or-knows-what-he-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/there-does-not-exist-a-painter-who-knows-himself-or-knows-what-he-is/#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 } } ] } ```