--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All children paint like geniuses. What do…" description: "\"All children paint like geniuses. What do we do to them that so quickly dulls this ability?\" — Pablo Picasso" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9eb/pablo-picasso-552_ability_all-children-paint-like-geniuses-what-do_2669778.jpg" --- # All children paint like geniuses. What do we do to them… ![“All children paint like geniuses. What do we do to them that so quickly dulls this ability?” quote by Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9eb/pablo-picasso-552_ability_all-children-paint-like-geniuses-what-do_2669778.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9eb/pablo-picasso-552_ability_all-children-paint-like-geniuses-what-do_2669778.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9eb/pablo-picasso-552_ability_all-children-paint-like-geniuses-what-do_2669778.jpg) > “All children paint like geniuses. What do we do to them that so quickly dulls this ability?” [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Children naturally create with brilliance; adult influence often suppresses this innate creativity. **In simple terms:** Adults dull children's artistic spark. Key Takeaway Nurture creative freedom in kids. Themes innocent creativity educational impact artistic development Mood inspirational concerned Type educational artistic When to use this quote - school curricula - parental guidance - art workshops - community art programs Key Concepts cognitive development play theory Questions to Reflect On - How can education protect creative instincts? - What environments foster artistic growth? A Different Perspective Societal norms may limit expression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Children Paint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children-paint-2493792/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Geniuses Quickly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/geniuses-quickly-2493791/) [Like Geniuses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-geniuses-1370185/) [Paint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint/) [Paint Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint-like-647829/) [Quickly Dulls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quickly-dulls-2493793/) ## Related quotes > [“When children paint, they express their ideas rather than their perception, and when Picasso had recourse to such a technique, then that was his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingo-f-walther/when-children-paint-they-express-their-ideas-rather-than-their/) [Ingo F. Walther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingo-f-walther/) > [I loved Stephen Wright, and I loved Mitch Hedberg, but they seemed like geniuses you could never emulate. You'd just be ripping them off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-loved-stephen-wright-and-i-loved-mitch-hedberg-but-they-seemed-like/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [“If computers make us smarter, computers running the Master Algorithm will make us feel like geniuses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro-domingos/if-computers-make-us-smarter-computers-running-the-master-algorithm/) [Pedro Domingos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro-domingos/) > [What does it mean for a painter to paint in the manner of So-and-So or to actually imitate someone else? What's wrong with that?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/what-does-it-mean-for-a-painter-to-paint-in-the-manner-of-so-and-so/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [Paint what you like and die happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/paint-what-you-like-and-die-happy/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [I'd been taught to paint like other people, and I thought, what's the use? I couldn't do any better than they, or even as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/i-d-been-taught-to-paint-like-other-people-and-i-thought-what-s-the/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [When I was a kid, I always used to paint. I like to draw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marky-ramone/when-i-was-a-kid-i-always-used-to-paint-i-like-to-draw/) [Marky Ramone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marky-ramone/) > [No artist, if he has original talent, can paint like another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-plaskett/no-artist-if-he-has-original-talent-can-paint-like-another/) [Joseph Plaskett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-plaskett/) > [It is the fertile hallucination that makes paint so compelling. Paint is like the numerologist's numbers, always counting but never adding up, always speaking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-elkins/it-is-the-fertile-hallucination-that-makes-paint-so-compelling-paint/) [James Elkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-elkins/) > [I should like to paint like an man who has never seen a painting, but this man -myself - lives in a museum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-guston/i-should-like-to-paint-like-an-man-who-has-never-seen-a-painting-but/) [Philip Guston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-guston/) > [If I paint like a barbarian, it's because we live in a barbarous age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karel-appel/if-i-paint-like-a-barbarian-it-s-because-we-live-in-a-barbarous-age/) [Karel Appel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karel-appel/) > [But who can paint like Nature? Can imagination boast, amid its gay creation, hues like hers?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thomson/but-who-can-paint-like-nature-can-imagination-boast-amid-its-gay/) [James Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thomson/) > [“I wish I could paint like Raphael," Lucio said. "I'd paint you! You should smile more often - it's like dawn breaking over a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-forsyth/i-wish-i-could-paint-like-raphael-lucio-said-i-d-paint-you-you-should/) [Kate Forsyth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-forsyth/) > [I arrange my subject as I want it, then I go ahead and paint it, like a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-auguste-renoir/i-arrange-my-subject-as-i-want-it-then-i-go-ahead-and-paint-it-like-a/) [Pierre-Auguste Renoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-auguste-renoir/) > [I paint what I like, when I like and where I like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hockney/i-paint-what-i-like-when-i-like-and-where-i-like/) [David Hockney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hockney/) ## More by Pablo Picasso > [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/) > [When I haven't any blue I use red.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/when-i-haven-t-any-blue-i-use-red/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [The Parthenon is really only a farmyard over which someone put a roof; colonades and sculptures were added because there were people in Athens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/the-parthenon-is-really-only-a-farmyard-over-which-someone-put-a-roof/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [By amusing myself with all these games, all this nonsense, all these picture puzzles, I became famous... I am only a public entertainer who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/by-amusing-myself-with-all-these-games-all-this-nonsense-all-these/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [If I paint a hammer and sickle people may think it is a representation of Communism, but for me it is only a hammer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/if-i-paint-a-hammer-and-sickle-people-may-think-it-is-a/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [One never knows what one is going to do. One starts a painting and then it becomes something quite different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/one-never-knows-what-one-is-going-to-do-one-starts-a-painting-and/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [Now there is fame! Of all - hunger, misery, the incomprehension by the public - fame is by far the worst. It is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/now-there-is-fame-of-all-hunger-misery-the-incomprehension-by-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [It takes a long time to become young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/it-takes-a-long-time-to-become-young/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [We all know that Art is not truth. Art is a lie that makes us realize truth at least the truth that is given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/we-all-know-that-art-is-not-truth-art-is-a-lie-that-makes-us-realize/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [You see these thick curtains shut out the daylight: artificial light suits me a great deal better; it's absolutely steady, and much more exciting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/you-see-these-thick-curtains-shut-out-the-daylight-artificial-light/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [The best calculation is the absence of calculation. Once you have attained a certain level of recognition, others generally figure that when you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/the-best-calculation-is-the-absence-of-calculation-once-you-have/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [Action is the foundational key to all success. --Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/action-is-the-foundational-key-to-all-success-pablo-picasso/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [The earth doesn't have a housekeeper to do the dusting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/the-earth-doesn-t-have-a-housekeeper-to-do-the-dusting/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [God is really only another artist. He invented the giraffe, the elephant and the cat. He has no real style, He just goes on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/god-is-really-only-another-artist-he-invented-the-giraffe-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/a-baby-will-make-love-stronger-days-shorter-nights-longer-bankroll/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Explore all 477 Pablo Picasso quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) ## More Ability quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. If you want them in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-importance-of-ability-the-things-that-make-a-great-job-great-i/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/) [Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/) > [You can only do the work to the very best of your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-can-only-do-the-work-to-the-very-best-of-your-ability/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Bobby had faith in my ability as a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-london/bobby-had-faith-in-my-ability-as-a-singer/) [Julie London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-london/) [Browse all 9,990 Ability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "All children paint like geniuses. 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