--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Drawing at its best is not what your eyes…" description: "\"Drawing at its best is not what your eyes see but what our mind understands.\" — Millard Sheets" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d3/millard-sheets-51591_drawing_drawing-at-its-best-is-not-what-your-eye_1958988.jpg" --- # Drawing at its best is not what your eyes see but what our… ![“Drawing at its best is not what your eyes see but what our mind understands.” quote by Millard Sheets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d3/millard-sheets-51591_drawing_drawing-at-its-best-is-not-what-your-eye_1958988.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d3/millard-sheets-51591_drawing_drawing-at-its-best-is-not-what-your-eye_1958988.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d3/millard-sheets-51591_drawing_drawing-at-its-best-is-not-what-your-eye_1958988.jpg) > “Drawing at its best is not what your eyes see but what our mind understands.” [Millard Sheets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millard-sheets/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art transcends visual detail; its power lies in conveying deeper mental and emotional truths. **In simple terms:** Art is about meaning, not just sight. Key Takeaway Create works that speak to the mind. Themes creativity perception communication Mood thoughtful inspired Type philosophical artistic When to use this quote - gallery exhibitions - educational workshops - personal reflection Key Concepts semiotics psychology visual rhetoric Questions to Reflect On - How can you embed deeper ideas in visual art? - What emotions do you want your audience to feel? A Different Perspective Interpretation varies; viewers may miss intended meaning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Drawing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drawing/) [Drawing Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drawing-best-1169801/) [Eye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eye/) [Eyes Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eyes-mind-335148/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Mind Understands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-understands-399322/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Ur Eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ur-eyes/) ## Related quotes > [Hehe love this drawing best maybe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brianna-ramos/hehe-love-this-drawing-best-maybe/) [Brianna Ramos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brianna-ramos/) > [If the machines can take the drudgery out of it and just leave us with the joy of drawing, then that's the best of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-bluth/if-the-machines-can-take-the-drudgery-out-of-it-and-just-leave-us/) [Don Bluth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-bluth/) > [A mature mind is one who understands the impossibility of knowing the ultimate, and with this understanding there is a new dimension: the dimension…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/a-mature-mind-is-one-who-understands-the-impossibility-of-knowing-the/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [The essence of education lies in drawing out the very best that is in you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/the-essence-of-education-lies-in-drawing-out-the-very-best-that-is-in/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [Both of my parents were cartoonists - they met in art school - so I was always drawing and I was the best artist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-alan-stamaty/both-of-my-parents-were-cartoonists-they-met-in-art-school-so-i-was/) [Mark Alan Stamaty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-alan-stamaty/) > [By education, I mean an all-round drawing of the best in child and man in body, mind and spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/by-education-i-mean-an-all-round-drawing-of-the-best-in-child-and-man/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Real education consists in drawing the best out of yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/real-education-consists-in-drawing-the-best-out-of-yourself/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [The less the mind understands and the more things it perceives, the greater its power of feigning is; and the more things it understands,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/the-less-the-mind-understands-and-the-more-things-it-perceives-the/) [Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/) > [I had learned how it felt to want more than the sweet touch of hand to cheek or lips to palm, more than a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliet-marillier/i-had-learned-how-it-felt-to-want-more-than-the-sweet-touch-of-hand/) [Juliet Marillier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliet-marillier/) > [That mind which understands itself is the mind of a free man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/that-mind-which-understands-itself-is-the-mind-of-a-free-man/) [L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/) > [Further, there are things of which the mind understands one part, but remains ignorant of the other; and when man is able to comprehend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maimonides/further-there-are-things-of-which-the-mind-understands-one-part-but/) [Maimonides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maimonides/) > [A curious mind does not say to consumers "What do you want?" A curious mind understands context, understands behavior, understands spending and spending patterns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-silverstein/a-curious-mind-does-not-say-to-consumers-what-do-you-want-a-curious/) [Michael J. Silverstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-silverstein/) > [Whatever your eyes see so do your mind think it into a word that will get your ass whoop!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frenchqueen/whatever-your-eyes-see-so-do-your-mind-think-it-into-a-word-that-will/) [Frenchqueen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frenchqueen/) > [“When indeed you positively press your face, so to speak, against the crystalline window of your eyes, your mind is apt to become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-de-la-mare/when-indeed-you-positively-press-your-face-so-to-speak-against-the/) [Walter de la Mare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-de-la-mare/) > [“Who do you see when you think of you? Are you an outsider, Cool, distant, angry, swimming against the current, or are you in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howe/who-do-you-see-when-you-think-of-you-are-you-an-outsider-cool-distant/) [James Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howe/) ## More by Millard Sheets > [Is your work an interpretation of your understanding of reality, or is it simply a picture of your feelings?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millard-sheets/is-your-work-an-interpretation-of-your-understanding-of-reality-or-is/) [Millard Sheets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millard-sheets/) > [Design may be the logical solution to a problem, but it's never a formula. Design grows out of clarity of purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millard-sheets/design-may-be-the-logical-solution-to-a-problem-but-it-s-never-a/) [Millard Sheets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millard-sheets/) > [Good design is a great combination of common sense, unusual imagination, clarity of purpose–with a prerequisite knowledge of structure, values, color, aesthetic insight and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millard-sheets/good-design-is-a-great-combination-of-common-sense-unusual/) [Millard Sheets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millard-sheets/) > [Art is many things but, directly or indirectly, it always describes the human condition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millard-sheets/art-is-many-things-but-directly-or-indirectly-it-always-describes-the/) [Millard Sheets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millard-sheets/) > [Your painting is a measure of your mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millard-sheets/your-painting-is-a-measure-of-your-mind/) [Millard Sheets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millard-sheets/) > [Painting expresses the depth and insight, the spiritual quality of the artist. If art is about life, then, while the depth to which the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millard-sheets/painting-expresses-the-depth-and-insight-the-spiritual-quality-of-the/) [Millard Sheets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millard-sheets/) [Explore all 7 Millard Sheets quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millard-sheets/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "Drawing at its best is not what your eyes see but what our mind understands.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Millard Sheets" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millard-sheets/drawing-at-its-best-is-not-what-your-eyes-see-but-what-our-mind/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millard-sheets/drawing-at-its-best-is-not-what-your-eyes-see-but-what-our-mind/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d3/millard-sheets-51591_drawing_drawing-at-its-best-is-not-what-your-eye_1958988.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d3/millard-sheets-51591_drawing_drawing-at-its-best-is-not-what-your-eye_1958988.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d3/millard-sheets-51591_drawing_drawing-at-its-best-is-not-what-your-eye_1958988.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Drawing at its best is not what your eyes see but what our mind understands.” — Millard Sheets", "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": "Millard Sheets", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millard-sheets/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Drawing at its best is not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millard-sheets/drawing-at-its-best-is-not-what-your-eyes-see-but-what-our-mind/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millard-sheets/drawing-at-its-best-is-not-what-your-eyes-see-but-what-our-mind/#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 } } ] } ```