--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One must act in painting as in life…" description: "\"One must act in painting as in life, directly.\" — Pablo Picasso" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/601/pablo-picasso-552_artist_one-must-act-in-painting-as-in-life-dire_3051933.jpg" --- # One must act in painting as in life, directly. ![“One must act in painting as in life, directly.” quote by Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/601/pablo-picasso-552_artist_one-must-act-in-painting-as-in-life-dire_3051933.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/601/pablo-picasso-552_artist_one-must-act-in-painting-as-in-life-dire_3051933.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/601/pablo-picasso-552_artist_one-must-act-in-painting-as-in-life-dire_3051933.jpg) > “One must act in painting as in life, directly.” [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. Artistic creation should be direct and immediate, mirroring authentic action in life. **In simple terms:** Create directly, act directly. Key Takeaway Embrace immediacy in work. Themes art authenticity action Mood inspirational practical Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - studio practice - project management - personal projects Key Concepts philosophy creativity Questions to Reflect On - How can spontaneity coexist with preparation? - When does direct action hinder outcomes? A Different Perspective May neglect planning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) ## Related quotes > [Painting is a kind of call and response. During the act of painting one is listening, paying attention to a self, a voice simultaneously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/squeak-carnwath/painting-is-a-kind-of-call-and-response-during-the-act-of-painting/) [Squeak Carnwath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/squeak-carnwath/) > [Painting is self-discovery. You arrive at the image through the act of painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolph-gottlieb/painting-is-self-discovery-you-arrive-at-the-image-through-the-act-of/) [Adolph Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolph-gottlieb/) > [I deal with painting as I deal with things, I paint a window just as I look out of a window. If an open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/i-deal-with-painting-as-i-deal-with-things-i-paint-a-window-just-as-i/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [The future turns out to be something that you make instead of find. It isn't waiting for your arrival, either with an arrest warrant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-h-lapham/the-future-turns-out-to-be-something-that-you-make-instead-of-find-it/) [Lewis H. Lapham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-h-lapham/) > [When I'm painting, I'm not aware of what I'm doing. It's only after a get acquainted period that I see what I've been about.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-pollock/when-i-m-painting-i-m-not-aware-of-what-i-m-doing-it-s-only-after-a/) [Jackson Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-pollock/) > [Zen is meditation, the actual experience of life directly, immediately with no buffers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/zen-is-meditation-the-actual-experience-of-life-directly-immediately/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Our success in life is directly related to the quantity and quality of service we give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/our-success-in-life-is-directly-related-to-the-quantity-and-quality/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The quality of one's life is directly related to the quality of questions one asks oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/the-quality-of-one-s-life-is-directly-related-to-the-quality-of/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [“Your quality of life is directly tied to the amount of love flowing in you and through you to others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kendrick/your-quality-of-life-is-directly-tied-to-the-amount-of-love-flowing/) [Stephen Kendrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kendrick/) > [“Life is directly proportional to happiness and sadness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santosh-kalwar/life-is-directly-proportional-to-happiness-and-sadness/) [Santosh Kalwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santosh-kalwar/) > [The quality of your life is directly related to how much uncertainty you can comfortably handle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/the-quality-of-your-life-is-directly-related-to-how-much-uncertainty/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [“The quality of your life, is directly proportional to the amount of the unknown in your life". Tony Robbins”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/the-quality-of-your-life-is-directly-proportional-to-the-amount-of/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [“The quality of your life is directly proportional to the positive effect you have on others’ lives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-matakas/the-quality-of-your-life-is-directly-proportional-to-the-positive/) [Chris Matakas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-matakas/) > [Do I prefer to grow up and relate to life directly, or do I choose to live and die in fear?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/do-i-prefer-to-grow-up-and-relate-to-life-directly-or-do-i-choose-to/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [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/) ## 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 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 > [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": "One must act in painting as in life, directly.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pablo Picasso" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/one-must-act-in-painting-as-in-life-directly/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/one-must-act-in-painting-as-in-life-directly/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/601/pablo-picasso-552_artist_one-must-act-in-painting-as-in-life-dire_3051933.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/601/pablo-picasso-552_artist_one-must-act-in-painting-as-in-life-dire_3051933.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/601/pablo-picasso-552_artist_one-must-act-in-painting-as-in-life-dire_3051933.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“One must act in painting as in life, directly.” — Pablo Picasso", "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": "Pablo Picasso", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "One must act in painting as...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/one-must-act-in-painting-as-in-life-directly/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/one-must-act-in-painting-as-in-life-directly/#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 } } ] } ```