--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I did not know how to paint a mural. I…" description: "\"I did not know how to paint a mural. I did not know how to prepare the surface. There was nobody from the Renaissance around who could advise me, and I..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d77/maurice-sendak-1273_advise_i-did-not-know-how-to-paint-a-mural-i-di_2567545.jpg" --- # I did not know how to paint a mural. I did not know how to… ![“I did not know how to paint a mural. I did not know how to prepare the surface. There was nobody from the Renaissance around who could advise me, and I did the best I could.” quote by Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d77/maurice-sendak-1273_advise_i-did-not-know-how-to-paint-a-mural-i-di_2567545.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d77/maurice-sendak-1273_advise_i-did-not-know-how-to-paint-a-mural-i-di_2567545.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d77/maurice-sendak-1273_advise_i-did-not-know-how-to-paint-a-mural-i-di_2567545.jpg) > “I did not know how to paint a mural. I did not know how to prepare the surface. There was nobody from the Renaissance around who could advise me, and I did the best I could.” [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker acknowledges lacking expertise and guidance but still attempts the best they can. **In simple terms:** Lack of knowledge, but effort persists. Key Takeaway Do your best despite limited resources. Themes creativity learning resourcefulness Mood determined reflective Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - art projects - DIY home repairs - learning new skills - teaching others Key Concepts self‑efficacy problem solving Questions to Reflect On - What can you do when expert help is unavailable? - How does effort shape skill development? A Different Perspective Without guidance, outcomes may be suboptimal. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Advise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advise/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Know Paint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-paint-1609648/) [Mural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mural/) [Mural Did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mural-did-1662321/) [Paint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint/) [Paint Mural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint-mural-1662322/) [Renaissance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/renaissance/) [Renaissance Advise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/renaissance-advise-1662323/) [Surface](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surface/) ## Related quotes > [The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to, and I paint whatever passes through my head without any other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frida-kahlo/the-only-thing-i-know-is-that-i-paint-because-i-need-to-and-i-paint/) [Frida Kahlo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frida-kahlo/) > [The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frida-kahlo/the-only-thing-i-know-is-that-i-paint-because-i-need-to/) [Frida Kahlo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frida-kahlo/) > [“Anyone who has not groomed his life in general towards some definite end cannot possibly arrange his individual actions properly. It is impossible to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/anyone-who-has-not-groomed-his-life-in-general-towards-some-definite/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [I do not know myself how I paint it. I sit down with a white board before the spot that strikes me. I look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/i-do-not-know-myself-how-i-paint-it-i-sit-down-with-a-white-board/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [It's such an extraordinary supple medium that you never do quite know what paint will do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/it-s-such-an-extraordinary-supple-medium-that-you-never-do-quite-know/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [I paint my own reality. The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to, and I paint whatever passes through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frida-kahlo/i-paint-my-own-reality-the-only-thing-i-know-is-that-i-paint-because/) [Frida Kahlo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frida-kahlo/) > [I did not know how to paint or even what to paint, but I knew I had to begin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-did-not-know-how-to-paint-or-even-what-to-paint-but-i-knew-i-had-to/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [I know that to paint the sea really well, you need to look at it every hour of every day in the same place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-monet/i-know-that-to-paint-the-sea-really-well-you-need-to-look-at-it-every/) [Claude Monet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-monet/) > [When I first painted a number of canvases grey all over (about eight years ago), I did so because I did not know what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/when-i-first-painted-a-number-of-canvases-grey-all-over-about-eight/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [You just don't know when you get all the paint across the canvas how it will turn out. When you step back after you've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ridley-scott/you-just-don-t-know-when-you-get-all-the-paint-across-the-canvas-how/) [Ridley Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ridley-scott/) > [“You’ve got to live right, too. It’s the way you live that predisposes you to avoid the traps and see the right facts. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/you-ve-got-to-live-right-too-it-s-the-way-you-live-that-predisposes/) [Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/) > [I'm an artistic kind of person. I draw. I've drawn my whole life. When you have an imaginative mind, I think the artistic form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinny-guadagnino/i-m-an-artistic-kind-of-person-i-draw-i-ve-drawn-my-whole-life-when/) [Vinny Guadagnino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinny-guadagnino/) > [I felt saddened and confused to discover my favorite mural gone, but also hopeful that another one may be in the works. Street art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-raboteau/i-felt-saddened-and-confused-to-discover-my-favorite-mural-gone-but/) [Emily Raboteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-raboteau/) > [In the 7th grade, I made a 20-foot long mural of the Lewis and Clark Trail while we were studying that in history because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/in-the-7th-grade-i-made-a-20-foot-long-mural-of-the-lewis-and-clark/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [I have a lot of tattoos. I probably have over 100 tattoos. I don't know. It's just a mural... a collage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyga/i-have-a-lot-of-tattoos-i-probably-have-over-100-tattoos-i-don-t-know/) [Tyga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyga/) ## More by Maurice Sendak > [I never thought of Bumble-Ardy in that way. But I still have that same deep feeling for children who are in dire trouble. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-never-thought-of-bumble-ardy-in-that-way-but-i-still-have-that-same/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I was a very sickly child. My parents were immigrants. They were not decorous. They were not discreet. They always thought I was gonna…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-was-a-very-sickly-child-my-parents-were-immigrants-they-were-not/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [The distinctions of fine art bore me to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/the-distinctions-of-fine-art-bore-me-to-death/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [The fan mail I get from kids are asking me questions which they do not ask their mothers and fathers. Because if they had,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/the-fan-mail-i-get-from-kids-are-asking-me-questions-which-they-do/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [“May I ask what you have in your black leather bag with gold buckles?" "Everything." They were climbing a narrow staircase. Rhoda stopped to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/may-i-ask-what-you-have-in-your-black-leather-bag-with-gold-buckles/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I grew up in a house that was in a constant state of mourning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-grew-up-in-a-house-that-was-in-a-constant-state-of-mourning/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [Illustrations have as much to say as the text. The trick is to say the same thing, but in a different way. It's no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/illustrations-have-as-much-to-say-as-the-text-the-trick-is-to-say-the/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I'm a lucky buck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-m-a-lucky-buck/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I've convinced myself - I hope I'm right - that children despair of you if you don't tell them the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-ve-convinced-myself-i-hope-i-m-right-that-children-despair-of-you/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [It's no fun being lonely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/it-s-no-fun-being-lonely/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [It dawned on me that art was the way I could survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/it-dawned-on-me-that-art-was-the-way-i-could-survive/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I cry a lot because I miss people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-cry-a-lot-because-i-miss-people/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [You cannot write for children They're much too complicated. You can only write books that are of interest to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/you-cannot-write-for-children-they-re-much-too-complicated-you-can/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [All I liked to do when I was a kid was draw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/all-i-liked-to-do-when-i-was-a-kid-was-draw/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I'm still as enamored and turned on by work as I was when I was young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-m-still-as-enamored-and-turned-on-by-work-as-i-was-when-i-was-young/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) [Explore all 262 Maurice Sendak quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) ## More Advise quotes > [Choosing a job or business is the same thing. I'm not the best one to advise someone how to make billions of dollars; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-roy/choosing-a-job-or-business-is-the-same-thing-i-m-not-the-best-one-to/) [Rachel Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-roy/) > [Buddhism advises you not to implant feelings that you don’t really have or avoid feelings that you do have. If you are miserable you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/buddhism-advises-you-not-to-implant-feelings-that-you-don-t-really/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I always advise people not to act upon the advice that I give them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/i-always-advise-people-not-to-act-upon-the-advice-that-i-give-them/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Sometimes curiosity is a poison, not only for those who drink it but for everyone around it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-norman-lippert/sometimes-curiosity-is-a-poison-not-only-for-those-who-drink-it-but/) [G. Norman Lippert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-norman-lippert/) > [Dont ever wrestle with a pig u'll both get dirty but the pig will enj0y it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/udechukwu-d0navan/dont-ever-wrestle-with-a-pig-u-ll-both-get-dirty-but-the-pig-will/) [Udechukwu D0navan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/udechukwu-d0navan/) > [Some writing courses will advise you to write what you know. I've always thought this is very odd advice ... because it means, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/some-writing-courses-will-advise-you-to-write-what-you-know-i-ve/) [Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/) > [I advise women to invest in real estate. It is the collateral to be preferred above all others, and the safest means of investing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hetty-green/i-advise-women-to-invest-in-real-estate-it-is-the-collateral-to-be/) [Hetty Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hetty-green/) > [You bomb ISIL. You're not trying to bomb innocent people. And that requires intelligence and confidence in our military to be able to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/you-bomb-isil-you-re-not-trying-to-bomb-innocent-people-and-that/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [God is a spirit. Jesus was led up of the Spirit to be tempted of the Devil; and it is also true that spirits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bradlaugh/god-is-a-spirit-jesus-was-led-up-of-the-spirit-to-be-tempted-of-the/) [Charles Bradlaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bradlaugh/) > [I do not allow fan-fiction. The characters are copyrighted. It upsets me terribly to even think about fan-fiction with my characters. I advise my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-do-not-allow-fan-fiction-the-characters-are-copyrighted-it-upsets/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [Only a foolish man wil keep on doing one ting and expect another result](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordons/only-a-foolish-man-wil-keep-on-doing-one-ting-and-expect-another/) [Gordons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordons/) > [I do believe that where there is a choice between cowardice and non-violence I would advise violence. Thus when my eldest son asked me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-believe-that-where-there-is-a-choice-between-cowardice-and-non/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [You are lucky in life if you have the right heroes. I advise all of you, to the extent you can, to pick out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/you-are-lucky-in-life-if-you-have-the-right-heroes-i-advise-all-of/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [“I don't advise. You mutn't give any weight to what I say, except in so far as your own judgment approves it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-gissing/i-don-t-advise-you-mutn-t-give-any-weight-to-what-i-say-except-in-so/) [George Gissing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-gissing/) > [Parents can only advise their children or point them in the right direction. Ultimately people shape their own characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-frank/parents-can-only-advise-their-children-or-point-them-in-the-right/) [Anne Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-frank/) [Browse all 507 Advise quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advise/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I did not know how to paint a mural. I did not know how to prepare the surface. 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