--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Things were sort of Bohemian in…" description: "\"Things were sort of Bohemian in Montmartre - one lived, one painted, one was a painter - all that doesn't mean anything, fundamentally.\" — Marcel Duchamp" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/738/marcel-duchamp-2390_anything_things-were-sort-of-bohemian-in-montmart_978801.jpg" --- # Things were sort of Bohemian in Montmartre - one lived… ![“Things were sort of Bohemian in Montmartre - one lived, one painted, one was a painter - all that doesn't mean anything, fundamentally.” quote by Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/738/marcel-duchamp-2390_anything_things-were-sort-of-bohemian-in-montmart_978801.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/738/marcel-duchamp-2390_anything_things-were-sort-of-bohemian-in-montmart_978801.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/738/marcel-duchamp-2390_anything_things-were-sort-of-bohemian-in-montmart_978801.jpg) > “Things were sort of Bohemian in Montmartre - one lived, one painted, one was a painter - all that doesn't mean anything, fundamentally.” [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. Bohemian life in Montmartre was artistic yet ultimately meaningless at its core. **In simple terms:** Artistic bohemia felt empty in deeper purpose. Key Takeaway Find meaning beyond superficial artistic scenes. Themes art existentialism bohemia Mood philosophical critical Type reflective contemplative When to use this quote - artist gatherings - urban culture - personal identity Key Concepts meaninglessness creative community Questions to Reflect On - Why does meaning matter? - How can you create purpose in art? A Different Perspective Art can still hold personal significance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anything](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anything/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Bohemian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bohemian/) [Bohemian Montmartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bohemian-montmartre-1928217/) [Lived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lived/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Montmartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/montmartre-124860/) [Montmartre Lived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/montmartre-lived-1928218/) [Painter Doesn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painter-doesn-1923885/) [Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things/) ## Related quotes > [A painter doesn't need any talent. In fact, it's better not to have it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-baselitz/a-painter-doesn-t-need-any-talent-in-fact-it-s-better-not-to-have-it/) [Georg Baselitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-baselitz/) > [“Here, there was an air of a country village. An apricot-colored cat sat on top of a fence, bathing himself in the sun. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-steinbach/here-there-was-an-air-of-a-country-village-an-apricot-colored-cat-sat/) [Alice Steinbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-steinbach/) > [“Have you ever plunged into the immensity of space and time by reading the geological treatises of Cuvier? Borne away on the wings of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/have-you-ever-plunged-into-the-immensity-of-space-and-time-by-reading/) [Honoré de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [“In the course of my life I have had pre-pubescent ballerinas; emaciated duchesses, dolorous and forever tired, melomaniac and morphine-sodden; bankers' wives with eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-lorrain/in-the-course-of-my-life-i-have-had-pre-pubescent-ballerinas/) [Jean Lorrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-lorrain/) > [“In Paris, women were not considered interesting until they were middle-aged. The Mist of Montmartre”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-kopman-owens/in-paris-women-were-not-considered-interesting-until-they-were-middle/) [Peggy Kopman-Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-kopman-owens/) > [What's so astonishing about not understanding? There are so many things in art, beginning with art itself, that one doesn't understand. A painter doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/what-s-so-astonishing-about-not-understanding-there-are-so-many/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [The painter doesn't try to reproduce the scene before him... he simplifies and eliminates until he knows exactly what stirred him, sets this down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-milne/the-painter-doesn-t-try-to-reproduce-the-scene-before-him-he/) [David Milne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-milne/) > [I want it to be more universal than that - like a painter doesn't have to explain his life story away to justify his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-orton/i-want-it-to-be-more-universal-than-that-like-a-painter-doesn-t-have/) [Beth Orton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-orton/) > [Channel a bohemian state of mind with an effortless dress paired with a must have embroidered moto jacket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lubov-azria/channel-a-bohemian-state-of-mind-with-an-effortless-dress-paired-with/) [Lubov Azria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lubov-azria/) > [Eclectic yet classic with a playful bohemian twist is how Id describe my style.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-temperley/eclectic-yet-classic-with-a-playful-bohemian-twist-is-how-id-describe/) [Alice Temperley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-temperley/) > [I grew up in a very bohemian environment in southern Sweden, so I was always, always, always in black jeans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-lindeberg/i-grew-up-in-a-very-bohemian-environment-in-southern-sweden-so-i-was/) [Johan Lindeberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-lindeberg/) > [“From this point forward, you don’t even know how to quit in life.” ~ Aaron Lauritsen, ‘100 Days Drive”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-lauritsen/from-this-point-forward-you-don-t-even-know-how-to-quit-in-life-aaron/) [Aaron Lauritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-lauritsen/) > [There's this whole post-modern, nuevo beatnik, retro-bohemian thing going on, you know what I mean? You walk into some coffee shops, and it feels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-maron/there-s-this-whole-post-modern-nuevo-beatnik-retro-bohemian-thing/) [Marc Maron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-maron/) > [Hollis thought he looked like William Burroughs, minus the bohemian substrate (or perhaps the methadone). Like someone who'd be invited quail shooting with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/hollis-thought-he-looked-like-william-burroughs-minus-the-bohemian/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [My first job was in a Bohemian polka band, the Rejcek family polka band in Abbott. The old man in the band had another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-nelson/my-first-job-was-in-a-bohemian-polka-band-the-rejcek-family-polka/) [Willie Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-nelson/) ## 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 Anything quotes > [I guess I've never really wanted to be anything else. I've never even thought about having another job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-farrell/i-guess-i-ve-never-really-wanted-to-be-anything-else-i-ve-never-even/) [Owen Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-farrell/) > [I would give anything to be able to kick a ball with my son or read the kids a bedtime story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-burrow/i-would-give-anything-to-be-able-to-kick-a-ball-with-my-son-or-read/) [Rob Burrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-burrow/) > [Comfort food is really anything you want at that time. That said, I really love Naple-style pizza.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-zakarian/comfort-food-is-really-anything-you-want-at-that-time-that-said-i/) [Geoffrey Zakarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-zakarian/) > [I haven't shut any doors, and I'm really open to anything, so I think it's just about the material and what is going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-panabaker/i-haven-t-shut-any-doors-and-i-m-really-open-to-anything-so-i-think/) [Danielle Panabaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-panabaker/) > [When it really comes down to it, the job you do is more important and is more representative of who you are than your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cudlitz/when-it-really-comes-down-to-it-the-job-you-do-is-more-important-and/) [Michael Cudlitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cudlitz/) > [The reason I'm drawn to it is - both the off road racing and the motorcycles on the track - it takes a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dax-shepard/the-reason-i-m-drawn-to-it-is-both-the-off-road-racing-and-the/) [Dax Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dax-shepard/) > [I never did drama at school. I did it for one term, when it was compulsory, and I hated it. Tennis was the main…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-mitchell/i-never-did-drama-at-school-i-did-it-for-one-term-when-it-was/) [Luke Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-mitchell/) > [We live in such a special time when literally anything we can think of is possible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-willey/we-live-in-such-a-special-time-when-literally-anything-we-can-think/) [Daniel Willey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-willey/) > [You know, I'm from Baltimore; nobody has anything. When somebody had talent, I was hiring my uncle, my cousin, you know? Getting people that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sisqo/you-know-i-m-from-baltimore-nobody-has-anything-when-somebody-had/) [Sisqo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sisqo/) > [I said to my agent, 'I want short, sharp, well-paid jobs because I haven't got time for anything else.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billie-whitelaw/i-said-to-my-agent-i-want-short-sharp-well-paid-jobs-because-i-haven/) [Billie Whitelaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billie-whitelaw/) > [I think anything that anyone writes thats any good is going to have a lot of autobiography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-adly-guirgis/i-think-anything-that-anyone-writes-thats-any-good-is-going-to-have-a/) [Stephen Adly Guirgis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-adly-guirgis/) > [If the Bible is correct, and the Earth is only 6,000 years old, that means there were no dinosaurs, and museum curators have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-shock/if-the-bible-is-correct-and-the-earth-is-only-6-000-years-old-that/) [Ron Shock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-shock/) > [Don't do anything drastic like getting your eyebrows tattooed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-lee/don-t-do-anything-drastic-like-getting-your-eyebrows-tattooed/) [Greta Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-lee/) > [Whenever you define family as anything other than a man and a woman married together, you have just introduced an ethical nightmare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-evans/whenever-you-define-family-as-anything-other-than-a-man-and-a-woman/) [Tony Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-evans/) > [No lusting after your neighbor's house - or wife or servant or maid or ox or donkey. Don't set your heart on anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses/no-lusting-after-your-neighbor-s-house-or-wife-or-servant-or-maid-or/) [Moses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses/) [Browse all 9,437 Anything quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anything/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Things were sort of Bohemian in Montmartre - one lived, one painted, one was a painter - all that doesn't mean anything, fundamentally.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marcel Duchamp" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/things-were-sort-of-bohemian-in-montmartre-one-lived-one-painted-one/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Anything" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/things-were-sort-of-bohemian-in-montmartre-one-lived-one-painted-one/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/738/marcel-duchamp-2390_anything_things-were-sort-of-bohemian-in-montmart_978801.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/738/marcel-duchamp-2390_anything_things-were-sort-of-bohemian-in-montmart_978801.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/738/marcel-duchamp-2390_anything_things-were-sort-of-bohemian-in-montmart_978801.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Things were sort of Bohemian in Montmartre - one lived, one painted, one was a painter - all that doesn't…” — 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": "Things were sort of Bohemian in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/things-were-sort-of-bohemian-in-montmartre-one-lived-one-painted-one/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/things-were-sort-of-bohemian-in-montmartre-one-lived-one-painted-one/#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 } } ] } ```