---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Better that we leave the paint behind,\"…"
description: "\"Better that we leave the paint behind,\" Hans told her, \"than ever forget the music.\" — Markus Zusak"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bb/markus-zusak-165_artist_better-that-we-leave-the-paint-behind-ha_1418957.png"
---

#  Better that we leave the paint behind," Hans told her…

![“Better that we leave the paint behind,&quot; Hans told her, &quot;than ever forget the music.” quote by Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bb/markus-zusak-165_artist_better-that-we-leave-the-paint-behind-ha_1418957.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bb/markus-zusak-165_artist_better-that-we-leave-the-paint-behind-ha_1418957.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bb/markus-zusak-165_artist_better-that-we-leave-the-paint-behind-ha_1418957.png)

> “Better that we leave the paint behind," Hans told her, "than ever forget the music.”

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

## About This Quote

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

Leaving behind something tangible is preferable to forgetting intangible joys like music.

**In simple terms:** Preserve memories over material things.

Key Takeaway

Value experiences over possessions.

Themes

memory art priorities

Mood

reflective melancholic

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- relationships
- creative projects
- personal reflection
- legacy planning

Key Concepts

impermanence nostalgia

Questions to Reflect On

- What intangible do you cherish most?
- How do you keep memories alive?

A Different Perspective

Forgetting can erode identity over time.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/)

## Related quotes

> [You know what Hans told me last week?" she says as I open the door of my fitting room. "He told me to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-kinsella/you-know-what-hans-told-me-last-week-she-says-as-i-open-the-door-of/)

[Sophie Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-kinsella/)

> [“At one stopover on the train journey home, Hans told his sister Inge later, he saw a young girl with the Star of David…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jud-newborn/at-one-stopover-on-the-train-journey-home-hans-told-his-sister-inge/)

Jud Newborn

> [One thing she told me that I will never Forget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikey-mar/one-thing-she-told-me-that-i-will-never-forget/)

[Mikey Mar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikey-mar/)

> [“I made it greater,you always told me to forget the haters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/knight-mayor/i-made-it-greater-you-always-told-me-to-forget-the-haters/)

[knight mayor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/knight-mayor/)

> [Once I was told to forget and now getting indirect hints to come back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mazher-mazher50/once-i-was-told-to-forget-and-now-getting-indirect-hints-to-come-back/)

Mazher (@mazher50

> [“She told me she’d never forget me as long as she lived, and I got offended, because what, as soon as she dies I’m…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/she-told-me-she-d-never-forget-me-as-long-as-she-lived-and-i-got/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [You know what hurts the most? The fact that : I can't say, I Lost You. You told me to forget you, but tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldyna-threesya/you-know-what-hurts-the-most-the-fact-that-i-can-t-say-i-lost-you-you/)

[Aldyna Threesya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldyna-threesya/)

> [Your children will smash your understanding, knowledge and reality. You will be better off. Then they will leave. You'll miss them forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tibor-kalman/your-children-will-smash-your-understanding-knowledge-and-reality-you/)

[Tibor Kalman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tibor-kalman/)

> [“I have come to recognize that it’s better to leave a position unfilled than to make a bad hire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-robinson/i-have-come-to-recognize-that-it-s-better-to-leave-a-position/)

Adam Robinson

> [Hire people who are better than you are, then leave them to get on with it. Look for people who will aim for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogilvy/hire-people-who-are-better-than-you-are-then-leave-them-to-get-on/)

[David Ogilvy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogilvy/)

> [There's an old saying in football - the circus doesn't stay in town forever. The older you get, the more you realize there's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-witten/there-s-an-old-saying-in-football-the-circus-doesn-t-stay-in-town/)

[Jason Witten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-witten/)

> [We have too accept the fact if we change for better and leave a bad lifestyle that we was born in or we create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-have-too-accept-the-fact-if-we-change-for-better-and-leave-a-bad/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Relationships should never rewind. Better leave it all behind. Guess that means you can never be mine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wale/relationships-should-never-rewind-better-leave-it-all-behind-guess/)

[Wale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wale/)

> [“You'd better leave your chromosomes at the door.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/you-d-better-leave-your-chromosomes-at-the-door/)

[John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/)

> [Relationships should never rewind. Better leave it all behind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wale/relationships-should-never-rewind-better-leave-it-all-behind/)

[Wale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wale/)

## More by Markus Zusak

> [Liesel observed the strangeness of her foster father's eyes. They were made of kindness, and silver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/liesel-observed-the-strangeness-of-her-foster-father-s-eyes-they-were/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [I think that as a writer your responsibility is to search for and stir up the things that are in this world. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/i-think-that-as-a-writer-your-responsibility-is-to-search-for-and/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [“For two days I went about my business. I travelled the globe as always, handing souls to the conveyor belt of eternity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/for-two-days-i-went-about-my-business-i-travelled-the-globe-as-always/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [It is early, early morning. It's that time when it's still dark but you know the day is coming. Blue is bleeding through black.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/it-is-early-early-morning-it-s-that-time-when-it-s-still-dark-but-you/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [“I'm twenty years old and look at me-- there isn't a thing I want to do”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/i-m-twenty-years-old-and-look-at-me-there-isn-t-a-thing-i-want-to-do/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [You should give it to Max, Liesel. See if you can leave it on the bedside table, like all the other things." Liesel watched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/you-should-give-it-to-max-liesel-see-if-you-can-leave-it-on-the/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [“When a woman with an iron fist tells you to get out there and clean spit off the door, you do it. Especially when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/when-a-woman-with-an-iron-fist-tells-you-to-get-out-there-and-clean/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [Is there cowardice with the acknowledgement of fear?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/is-there-cowardice-with-the-acknowledgement-of-fear/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [In years to come, he would be a giver of bread, not a stealer - proof again of the contradictory human being. So much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/in-years-to-come-he-would-be-a-giver-of-bread-not-a-stealer-proof/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [“«¿Por qué no puede oírlo el resto del mundo? —me pregunto. En pocos segundos me lo pregunto muchas veces—. Porque no le importa —me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/por-qu-no-puede-o-rlo-el-resto-del-mundo-me-pregunto-en-pocos/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [Could she smell my breath? Could she hear my cursed circular heart beat revolving like the crime it is in my deathly chest?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/could-she-smell-my-breath-could-she-hear-my-cursed-circular-heart/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [I see how complicated it is to make a film and how many people are involved and I love the fact that I get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/i-see-how-complicated-it-is-to-make-a-film-and-how-many-people-are/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [One wild card was yet to be played.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/one-wild-card-was-yet-to-be-played/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [“Može li netko ukrasti sreću? Ili je i to još jedan unutarnji, paklenski ljudski trik?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/mo-e-li-netko-ukrasti-sre-u-ili-je-i-to-jo-jedan-unutarnji-paklenski/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [I look at my first books and am glad they weren't published… You start writing by imitating your heroes, then you keep the heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/i-look-at-my-first-books-and-am-glad-they-weren-t-published-you-start/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

[Explore all 953 Markus Zusak quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

## 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": "Better that we leave the paint behind,\" Hans told her, \"than ever forget the music.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Markus Zusak"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/better-that-we-leave-the-paint-behind-hans-told-her-than-ever-forget/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Artist"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/better-that-we-leave-the-paint-behind-hans-told-her-than-ever-forget/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bb/markus-zusak-165_artist_better-that-we-leave-the-paint-behind-ha_1418957.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bb/markus-zusak-165_artist_better-that-we-leave-the-paint-behind-ha_1418957.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bb/markus-zusak-165_artist_better-that-we-leave-the-paint-behind-ha_1418957.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Better that we leave the paint behind,\" Hans told her, \"than ever forget the music.” — Markus Zusak",
                "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": "Markus Zusak",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Better that we leave the paint...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/better-that-we-leave-the-paint-behind-hans-told-her-than-ever-forget/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/better-that-we-leave-the-paint-behind-hans-told-her-than-ever-forget/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
