--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No artist is pleased. There is no…" description: "\"No artist is pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a strange, divine dissatisfaction , a blessed unrest that keeps us m..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d03/martha-graham-2832_alive_no-artist-is-pleased-there-is-no-satisfa_1251477.jpg" --- # No artist is pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at… ![“No artist is pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a strange, divine dissatisfaction , a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others.” quote by Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d03/martha-graham-2832_alive_no-artist-is-pleased-there-is-no-satisfa_1251477.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d03/martha-graham-2832_alive_no-artist-is-pleased-there-is-no-satisfa_1251477.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d03/martha-graham-2832_alive_no-artist-is-pleased-there-is-no-satisfa_1251477.jpg) > “No artist is pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a strange, divine dissatisfaction , a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others.” [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Artists experience perpetual dissatisfaction that fuels creativity and makes life feel more vivid. **In simple terms:** Artists feel restless, which drives their art and vitality. Key Takeaway Embrace dissatisfaction as creative fuel. Themes creativity restlessness divine dissatisfaction artistic drive Mood inspirational thoughtful Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - creative work - personal growth - overcoming stagnation Key Concepts philosophy psychology art theory Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance unrest with self‑care? - What practices sustain your creative fire? A Different Perspective Constant unrest can cause burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Blessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blessed/) [Blessed Unrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blessed-unrest-3945368/) [Choreographers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choreographers/) [Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dance/) [Dissatisfaction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dissatisfaction/) [Dissatisfaction Blessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dissatisfaction-blessed-3945367/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine/) [Divine Dissatisfaction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine-dissatisfaction-271658/) [Quickening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quickening/) [Satisfaction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satisfaction/) [Strange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Unrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unrest/) [Vitality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vitality/) ## Related quotes > [“No artist is pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer, divine dissastifaction; a blessed unrest that keeps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/no-artist-is-pleased-there-is-no-satisfaction-whatever-at-any-time-2/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/there-is-a-vitality-a-life-force-a-quickening-that-is-translated-2/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep open and aware directly to the urges that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/you-do-not-even-have-to-believe-in-yourself-or-your-work-you-have-to/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [Acting is divine dissatisfaction. It's the greatest thing in the world to do, but you are never satisfied with it ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-carrey/acting-is-divine-dissatisfaction-it-s-the-greatest-thing-in-the-world/) [Jim Carrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-carrey/) > [“An educator should consider that he has failed in his job if he has not succeeded in instilling some trace of a divine dissatisfaction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-standen/an-educator-should-consider-that-he-has-failed-in-his-job-if-he-has/) [Anthony Standen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-standen/) > [Dance is the hidden langauge of the soul, of the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/dance-is-the-hidden-langauge-of-the-soul-of-the-body/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [Our arms start from the back because they were once wings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/our-arms-start-from-the-back-because-they-were-once-wings/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [Practice is a means of inviting the perfection desired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/practice-is-a-means-of-inviting-the-perfection-desired/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [It is rewarding to find someone you like, but it is essential to like yourself. It is quickening to recognize that someone is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-coudert/it-is-rewarding-to-find-someone-you-like-but-it-is-essential-to-like/) [Jo Coudert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-coudert/) > [Shakespeare and Rembrandt have in common the faculty of quickening speculation and compelling the minds of men to combat and discussion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ernest-henley/shakespeare-and-rembrandt-have-in-common-the-faculty-of-quickening/) [William Ernest Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ernest-henley/) > [My work is the world. Here the sunflowers, there the hummingbird - equal seekers of sweetness. Here the quickening yeast; there the blue plums...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/my-work-is-the-world-here-the-sunflowers-there-the-hummingbird-equal/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [So that, were it the purpose of God to produce comets as signs of his wrath it would be true to say that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bayle/so-that-were-it-the-purpose-of-god-to-produce-comets-as-signs-of-his/) [Pierre Bayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bayle/) > [As we move into the 21st century, there's what the Bible calls a 'quickening of the spirit.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/as-we-move-into-the-21st-century-there-s-what-the-bible-calls-a/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [We can set no limit to human potentialities; all that is best in man can be bettered; it is not a question of producing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-fisher/we-can-set-no-limit-to-human-potentialities-all-that-is-best-in-man/) [Ronald Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-fisher/) > [A love revolution is forming far out to sea like a series of waves that build on one another until the whole earth is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-loren/a-love-revolution-is-forming-far-out-to-sea-like-a-series-of-waves/) [Julia Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-loren/) ## More by Martha Graham > [The body never lies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/the-body-never-lies/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [You have no right to go before a public without an adequate technique, just because you feel. Anything feels - a leaf feels, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/you-have-no-right-to-go-before-a-public-without-an-adequate-technique/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/there-is-a-vitality-a-life-force-an-energy-a-quickening-that-is/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [Misery is a communicable disease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/misery-is-a-communicable-disease/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [People have asked me why I chose to be a dancer. I did not choose. I was chosen to be a dancer, and with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/people-have-asked-me-why-i-chose-to-be-a-dancer-i-did-not-choose-i/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [All things I do are in every woman. Every woman is Medea. Every woman is Jocasta. There comes a time when a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/all-things-i-do-are-in-every-woman-every-woman-is-medea-every-woman/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [The body is shaped, disciplined, honored, and in time, trusted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/the-body-is-shaped-disciplined-honored-and-in-time-trusted/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [The secret to dancing is that it is about everything except dancing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/the-secret-to-dancing-is-that-it-is-about-everything-except-dancing/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [What makes a great dancer is not technique. What makes a great dancer is passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/what-makes-a-great-dancer-is-not-technique-what-makes-a-great-dancer/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [The body is a sacred garment. It's your first and last garment; it is what you enter life in and what you depart life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/the-body-is-a-sacred-garment-it-s-your-first-and-last-garment-it-is/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [You are unique, and if that is not fulfilled, then something has been lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/you-are-unique-and-if-that-is-not-fulfilled-then-something-has-been/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [You see, when weaving a blanket, an Indian woman leaves a flaw in the weaving of that blanket to let the soul out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/you-see-when-weaving-a-blanket-an-indian-woman-leaves-a-flaw-in-the/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [Dancing is just discovery, discovery, discovery - what it all means, the way the little bone near the ankle relates itself to the floor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/dancing-is-just-discovery-discovery-discovery-what-it-all-means-the/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [Theater used to be a verb; it used to be an act. But nowadays it is just a noun. It is a place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/theater-used-to-be-a-verb-it-used-to-be-an-act-but-nowadays-it-is/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [There is a force, a quickness that is translated through you into action. If you block it, the world will not have it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/there-is-a-force-a-quickness-that-is-translated-through-you-into/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) [Explore all 148 Martha Graham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) ## More Alive quotes > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) [Adam Ant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ant/) > [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-costas/if-jovan-belcher-didn-t-possess-a-gun-he-and-kasandra-perkins-would/) [Bob Costas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-costas/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) > [The pain of love is the pain of being alive. It is a perpetual wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/the-pain-of-love-is-the-pain-of-being-alive-it-is-a-perpetual-wound/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/) [Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/) > [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [Here Greek and Roman find themselves alive along these crowded shelves; and Shakespeare treads again his stage, and Chaucer paints anew his age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/here-greek-and-roman-find-themselves-alive-along-these-crowded/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [You're alive!" Fezzik cried. The man in black sat immobile, like a ventriloquist's dummy, just his mouth moving. "That is perhaps the most childishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-re-alive-fezzik-cried-the-man-in-black-sat-immobile-like-a/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) [Browse all 7,282 Alive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "No artist is pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. 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