--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An artist must either give up art or…" description: "\"“An artist must either give up art or develop. There are, of course, two ways of giving up: stopping altogether or taking the familiar Hollywood course..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c1/pauline-kael-6910_art_an-artist-must-either-give-up-art-or-dev_1302837.jpg" --- # An artist must either give up art or develop. There are… ![“An artist must either give up art or develop. There are, of course, two ways of giving up: stopping altogether or taking the familiar Hollywood course - making tricks out of what was once done for love.” quote by Pauline Kael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c1/pauline-kael-6910_art_an-artist-must-either-give-up-art-or-dev_1302837.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c1/pauline-kael-6910_art_an-artist-must-either-give-up-art-or-dev_1302837.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c1/pauline-kael-6910_art_an-artist-must-either-give-up-art-or-dev_1302837.jpg) > ““An artist must either give up art or develop. There are, of course, two ways of giving up: stopping altogether or taking the familiar Hollywood course - making tricks out of what was once done for love.”” [Pauline Kael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-kael/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. An artist must evolve or abandon art; stagnation leads to either quitting or commercializing art for profit. **In simple terms:** Artists must grow or quit. Key Takeaway Embrace evolution, avoid cheap shortcuts. Themes art career integrity Mood reflective critical Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - film criticism - personal development - career decisions Key Concepts creative stagnation commercialization Questions to Reflect On - What compromises are you making for comfort? - How can you stay true while adapting? A Different Perspective Evolution requires risk and authenticity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art Develop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-develop-4283788/) [Develop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/develop/) [Hollywood Course](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hollywood-course-2925613/) [Stopping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stopping/) [Stopping Altogether](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stopping-altogether-4283789/) ## Related quotes > [“An artist must either give up art or develop.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-kael/an-artist-must-either-give-up-art-or-develop/) [Pauline Kael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-kael/) > [Hollywood, of course, is the city of illusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-hanson/hollywood-of-course-is-the-city-of-illusion/) [Curtis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-hanson/) > [Art, if it is art, will develop in whatever circumstances it is placed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myrtle-reed/art-if-it-is-art-will-develop-in-whatever-circumstances-it-is-placed/) [Myrtle Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myrtle-reed/) > [“Any form of art can only develop by means of single mutations by individual creators. If only traditional conventions are used an art will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/any-form-of-art-can-only-develop-by-means-of-single-mutations-by/) [Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/) > [No art can develop until it penetrates deeply into the life of the people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meridel-le-sueur/no-art-can-develop-until-it-penetrates-deeply-into-the-life-of-the/) [Meridel Le Sueur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meridel-le-sueur/) > [The sugar maple is remarkable for its clean ankle. The groves of these trees looked like vast forest sheds, their branches stoppingshort at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-sugar-maple-is-remarkable-for-its-clean-ankle-the-groves-of-these/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Movies have been doing so much of the same thing - in slightly different ways - for so long that few of the possibilities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-kael/movies-have-been-doing-so-much-of-the-same-thing-in-slightly/) [Pauline Kael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-kael/) > [What we suffer from today is humility in the wrong place...The old humility was a spur that prevented a man from stopping; not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/what-we-suffer-from-today-is-humility-in-the-wrong-place-the-old/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [There is a major disaster when a person allows some success to become a stopping place rather than a way station on to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-vaughan/there-is-a-major-disaster-when-a-person-allows-some-success-to-become/) [Bill Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-vaughan/) > [Certainly, protecting oppressed people, stopping ethnic conflict and promoting responsible governance are worthy goals. 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There are something like 500…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-power/there-are-something-like-300-anti-genocide-chapters-on-college/) [Samantha Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-power/) > [I enjoy going on motorcycle trips and stopping in small towns and enjoying drinks with the locals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/i-enjoy-going-on-motorcycle-trips-and-stopping-in-small-towns-and/) [George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/) > [The only thing stopping you from getting it done is your excuses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/the-only-thing-stopping-you-from-getting-it-done-is-your-excuses/) [SONYA PARKER](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [When you stop a dictator, there are always risks. But there are greater risks in not stopping a dictator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/when-you-stop-a-dictator-there-are-always-risks-but-there-are-greater/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) ## More by Pauline Kael > [The worst thing about movie-making is that it's like life: nobody can go back to correct the mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-kael/the-worst-thing-about-movie-making-is-that-it-s-like-life-nobody-can/) [Pauline Kael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-kael/) > [Movies have been doing so much of the same thing - in slightly different ways - for so long that few of the possibilities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-kael/movies-have-been-doing-so-much-of-the-same-thing-in-slightly/) [Pauline Kael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-kael/) > [The critic is the only independent source of information. The rest is advertising.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-kael/the-critic-is-the-only-independent-source-of-information-the-rest-is/) [Pauline Kael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-kael/) > [A good movie can take you out of your dull funk and the hopelessness that so often goes with slipping into a theatre; a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-kael/a-good-movie-can-take-you-out-of-your-dull-funk-and-the-hopelessness/) [Pauline Kael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-kael/) > [The movies have been so rank the last couple of years that when I see people lining up to buy tickets I sometimes think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-kael/the-movies-have-been-so-rank-the-last-couple-of-years-that-when-i-see/) [Pauline Kael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-kael/) > [Movies are so rarely great art that if we cannot appreciate great trash we have very little reason to be interested in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-kael/movies-are-so-rarely-great-art-that-if-we-cannot-appreciate-great/) [Pauline Kael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-kael/) > [If you use Hollywood as the test tissue for mankind, what could the prognosis be?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-kael/if-you-use-hollywood-as-the-test-tissue-for-mankind-what-could-the/) [Pauline Kael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-kael/) > [Where there is a will, there is a way. If there is a chance in a million that you can do something, anything, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-kael/where-there-is-a-will-there-is-a-way-if-there-is-a-chance-in-a/) [Pauline Kael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-kael/) > [What this generation was bred to at television's knees was not wisdom, but cynicism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-kael/what-this-generation-was-bred-to-at-television-s-knees-was-not-wisdom/) [Pauline Kael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-kael/) > [Watching old movies is like spending an evening with those people next door. They bore us, and we wouldn't go out of our way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-kael/watching-old-movies-is-like-spending-an-evening-with-those-people/) [Pauline Kael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-kael/) > [I felt as if I had attended the funeral of someone I didn't know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-kael/i-felt-as-if-i-had-attended-the-funeral-of-someone-i-didn-t-know/) [Pauline Kael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-kael/) > [Protagonists are always loners, almost by definition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-kael/protagonists-are-always-loners-almost-by-definition/) [Pauline Kael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-kael/) > [if you think it so easy to be a critic, so difficult to be a poet or a painter or film experimenter, may I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-kael/if-you-think-it-so-easy-to-be-a-critic-so-difficult-to-be-a-poet-or-a/) [Pauline Kael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-kael/) > [Writers who go to Hollywood still follow the classic pattern: either you get disgusted by 'them' and you leave or you want the money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-kael/writers-who-go-to-hollywood-still-follow-the-classic-pattern-either/) [Pauline Kael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-kael/) > [Robert Redford ... has turned almost alarmingly blond-he's gone past platinum, he must be into plutonium; his hair is coordinated with his teeth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-kael/robert-redford-has-turned-almost-alarmingly-blond-he-s-gone-past/) [Pauline Kael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-kael/) [Explore all 96 Pauline Kael quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-kael/) ## More Art quotes > [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/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [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/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“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/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [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 only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [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/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“An artist must either give up art or develop. 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