--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wanted to paint a picture some day that…" description: "\"I wanted to paint a picture some day that people would stand before and forget that it was made of paint. I wanted it to creep into them like a bar of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01c/o-henry-3281_bars_i-wanted-to-paint-a-picture-some-day-tha_1104162.jpg" --- # I wanted to paint a picture some day that people would… ![“I wanted to paint a picture some day that people would stand before and forget that it was made of paint. I wanted it to creep into them like a bar of music and mushroom there like a soft bullet.” quote by O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01c/o-henry-3281_bars_i-wanted-to-paint-a-picture-some-day-tha_1104162.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01c/o-henry-3281_bars_i-wanted-to-paint-a-picture-some-day-tha_1104162.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01c/o-henry-3281_bars_i-wanted-to-paint-a-picture-some-day-tha_1104162.jpg) > “I wanted to paint a picture some day that people would stand before and forget that it was made of paint. I wanted it to creep into them like a bar of music and mushroom there like a soft bullet.” [O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/) ## 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 as to create art that transcends its medium, affecting people deeply like music, and leaving a lasting, subtle impact. **In simple terms:** Art should move people beyond its surface. Key Takeaway Create work that resonates emotionally. Themes art impact transcendence Mood inspirational creative Type philosophical artistic When to use this quote - painting - music - film - public installations Key Concepts aesthetic experience emotional resonance Questions to Reflect On - What emotions do you want your work to evoke? - How can subtlety enhance artistic impact? A Different Perspective Art may not always be understood as intended. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Bars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bars/) [Bullets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bullets/) [Creeps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creeps/) [Forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forget/) [Forget Paint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forget-paint-1450727/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Mushrooms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mushrooms/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Paint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint/) [Paint Picture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint-picture-251272/) [Paint Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint-wanted-2909113/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) [Wanted Paint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted-paint-499736/) ## Related quotes > [“I wanted to paint a picture, in indelible print, across the canvass of my heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suman-pokhrel/i-wanted-to-paint-a-picture-in-indelible-print-across-the-canvass-of/) [Suman Pokhrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suman-pokhrel/) > [“People are so busy polishing their past, that they forget to paint their future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/himanshu-vassanpal/people-are-so-busy-polishing-their-past-that-they-forget-to-paint/) [Himanshu Vassanpal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/himanshu-vassanpal/) > [Michelangelo's girlfriend, who said to Angelo, Forget the paint - let's put a mirror on the ceiling. Never got a dinner!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-buttons/michelangelo-s-girlfriend-who-said-to-angelo-forget-the-paint-let-s/) [Red Buttons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-buttons/) > [For my part, I rather distrust men or concerns that rise up with the speed of rockets. Sudden rises are sometimes followed by equally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/for-my-part-i-rather-distrust-men-or-concerns-that-rise-up-with-the/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [I decided that what I really wanted to do was go off and paint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-henson/i-decided-that-what-i-really-wanted-to-do-was-go-off-and-paint/) [Jim Henson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-henson/) > [At eight, he had once told his mother that he wanted to paint air.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/at-eight-he-had-once-told-his-mother-that-he-wanted-to-paint-air/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [Maybe I am not very human - what I wanted to do was to paint sunlight on the side of a house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hopper/maybe-i-am-not-very-human-what-i-wanted-to-do-was-to-paint-sunlight/) [Edward Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hopper/) > [“He wanted the world to be the color of his dreams, wanted to paint in primary colors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tal-bauer/he-wanted-the-world-to-be-the-color-of-his-dreams-wanted-to-paint-in/) [Tal Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tal-bauer/) > [Before becoming an actor I kind of just wanted to paint and live somewhere and do something low-key and artistic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-reedus/before-becoming-an-actor-i-kind-of-just-wanted-to-paint-and-live/) [Norman Reedus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-reedus/) > [I just wanted to paint and sketch and tell stories by drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-redford/i-just-wanted-to-paint-and-sketch-and-tell-stories-by-drawing/) [Robert Redford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-redford/) > [I've met a lot of artists who wanted to paint me. LeRoy Neiman was one. He did it from a photograph. He made 20,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/i-ve-met-a-lot-of-artists-who-wanted-to-paint-me-leroy-neiman-was-one/) [Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/) > [I cannot say why I wanted to paint.The only answer is in the pictures themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oskar-kokoschka/i-cannot-say-why-i-wanted-to-paint-the-only-answer-is-in-the-pictures/) [Oskar Kokoschka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oskar-kokoschka/) > [What I wanted to do was to paint sunlight on the side of a house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hopper/what-i-wanted-to-do-was-to-paint-sunlight-on-the-side-of-a-house/) [Edward Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hopper/) > [Black ink was always my favorite. I loved it. And then one day I realized that the only thing I ever wanted to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-soulages/black-ink-was-always-my-favorite-i-loved-it-and-then-one-day-i/) [Pierre Soulages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-soulages/) > [I suppose all along all I ever really wanted to do was paint people. That never changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chantal-joffe/i-suppose-all-along-all-i-ever-really-wanted-to-do-was-paint-people/) [Chantal Joffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chantal-joffe/) ## More by O. Henry > [He seemed to be made of sunshine and blood-red tissue and clear weather.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/he-seemed-to-be-made-of-sunshine-and-blood-red-tissue-and-clear/) [O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/) > [My advice to you, if you should ever be in a hold up, is to line up with the cowards and save your bravery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/my-advice-to-you-if-you-should-ever-be-in-a-hold-up-is-to-line-up/) [O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/) > [“It did not exactly beggar description, but it certainly had that word on the lookout for the mendicancy squad.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/it-did-not-exactly-beggar-description-but-it-certainly-had-that-word/) [O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/) > [Fortune is a prize to be won. Adventure is the road to it. Chance is what may lurk in the shadows at the roadside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/fortune-is-a-prize-to-be-won-adventure-is-the-road-to-it-chance-is/) [O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/) > [She plucked from my lapel the invisible strand of lint (the universal act of woman to proclaim ownership).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/she-plucked-from-my-lapel-the-invisible-strand-of-lint-the-universal/) [O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/) > [There is no well defined boundary line between honesty and dishonesty. The frontiers of one blend with the outside limits of the other, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/there-is-no-well-defined-boundary-line-between-honesty-and-dishonesty/) [O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/) > [All great men have declared that they owe their sucess to the aid and encouragement of some brilliant woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/all-great-men-have-declared-that-they-owe-their-sucess-to-the-aid-and/) [O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/) > [Those whom we first love we seldom marry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/those-whom-we-first-love-we-seldom-marry/) [O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/) > [Young artists must pave their way to Art by drawing pictures for magazine stories that young authors write to pave their way to Literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/young-artists-must-pave-their-way-to-art-by-drawing-pictures-for/) [O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/) > [A good story is like a bitter pill, with the sugar coating inside of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/a-good-story-is-like-a-bitter-pill-with-the-sugar-coating-inside-of-it/) [O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/) > [I've got some of my best yarns from park benches, lamp posts and newspaper stands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/i-ve-got-some-of-my-best-yarns-from-park-benches-lamp-posts-and/) [O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/) > [There are stories in everything. I've got some of my best yarns from park benches, lampposts, and newspaper stands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/there-are-stories-in-everything-i-ve-got-some-of-my-best-yarns-from/) [O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/) > [I never have time to read now. I did all my reading before I was twenty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/i-never-have-time-to-read-now-i-did-all-my-reading-before-i-was-twenty/) [O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/) > [Bride knoweth bride at the glance of an eye. And between them swiftly passes comfort and meaning in a language that man and widows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/bride-knoweth-bride-at-the-glance-of-an-eye-and-between-them-swiftly/) [O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/) > [No friendship is an accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/no-friendship-is-an-accident/) [O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/) [Explore all 135 O. Henry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/) ## 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": "I wanted to paint a picture some day that people would stand before and forget that it was made of paint. I wanted it to creep into them like a bar of music and mushroom there like a soft bullet.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "O. 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