--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You have understood what all great…" description: "\"You have understood what all great painters understand: in order to forget the rules, you must know them and respect them.\" — Paulo Coelho" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/499/paulo-coelho-10_artist_you-have-understood-what-all-great-paint_2261805.jpg" --- # You have understood what all great painters understand: in… ![“You have understood what all great painters understand: in order to forget the rules, you must know them and respect them.” quote by Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/499/paulo-coelho-10_artist_you-have-understood-what-all-great-paint_2261805.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/499/paulo-coelho-10_artist_you-have-understood-what-all-great-paint_2261805.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/499/paulo-coelho-10_artist_you-have-understood-what-all-great-paint_2261805.jpg) > “You have understood what all great painters understand: in order to forget the rules, you must know them and respect them.” [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Mastery requires first learning the fundamentals before one can creatively break them. **In simple terms:** Know rules before breaking them. Key Takeaway Study basics, then innovate. Themes creativity discipline mastery Mood reflective inspired Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - painting - design - writing - teaching - innovation Key Concepts learning theory artistic freedom Questions to Reflect On - What foundational skill could you deepen now? - How does respecting tradition fuel originality? A Different Perspective Rules can become constraints if not revisited regularly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Painter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painter/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) ## Related quotes > [At the beginning of the 20th century, the ambition of the great painters was to make paintings that were like music, which was then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/at-the-beginning-of-the-20th-century-the-ambition-of-the-great/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [I like the fact that in ancient Chinese art the great painters always included a deliberate flaw in their work: human creation is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/i-like-the-fact-that-in-ancient-chinese-art-the-great-painters-always/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [But when I am alone, I do not have the effrontery to consider myself an artist at all, not in the grand old meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/but-when-i-am-alone-i-do-not-have-the-effrontery-to-consider-myself/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [Painters understand nature and love it, and teach us to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/painters-understand-nature-and-love-it-and-teach-us-to-see/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [Real painters understand with a brush in their hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berthe-morisot/real-painters-understand-with-a-brush-in-their-hand/) [Berthe Morisot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berthe-morisot/) > [Try to walk as much as you can, and keep your love for nature, for that is the true way to learn to understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/try-to-walk-as-much-as-you-can-and-keep-your-love-for-nature-for-that/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [The names of great painters are like passing-bells: in the name of Velasquez you hear sounded the fall of Spain; .in the name of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/the-names-of-great-painters-are-like-passing-bells-in-the-name-of/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [I know that some of the great painters and some of the great artists didn't even start to 'peak', as you say, till they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-perry/i-know-that-some-of-the-great-painters-and-some-of-the-great-artists/) [Joe Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-perry/) > [“They’re all daubers, today’s painters; they’ve completely lost touch with the classical tradition, the subtle, noble craft of the old masters. They muddle along…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-hertmans/they-re-all-daubers-today-s-painters-they-ve-completely-lost-touch/) Stefan Hertmans > [I'm the expert when it comes to my paintings. I think all great painters have to have that confidence in what they are seeking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mordicai-gerstein/i-m-the-expert-when-it-comes-to-my-paintings-i-think-all-great/) [Mordicai Gerstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mordicai-gerstein/) > [We are the two great painters of this era; you are in the Egyptian style, I in themodern style. (to Pablo Picasso)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-rousseau/we-are-the-two-great-painters-of-this-era-you-are-in-the-egyptian/) [Henri Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-rousseau/) > [“Being able to draw well’, he goes on, ‘is the hardest thing – far harder than painting, as one can easily see from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-gayford/being-able-to-draw-well-he-goes-on-is-the-hardest-thing-far-harder/) [Martin Gayford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-gayford/) > [Titian, Rembrandt and Goya were the great painters. I am only a public clown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/titian-rembrandt-and-goya-were-the-great-painters-i-am-only-a-public/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [You know, it's no accident that the great painters came from areas like Europe where there is a lot of clouds and rain, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-hirschfeld/you-know-it-s-no-accident-that-the-great-painters-came-from-areas/) [Al Hirschfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-hirschfeld/) > [Almost all great painters in old age arrive at the same kind of broad, simplified style, as if they wanted to summarise the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/almost-all-great-painters-in-old-age-arrive-at-the-same-kind-of-broad/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) ## More by Paulo Coelho > [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Love will never separate a man from his personal legend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/love-will-never-separate-a-man-from-his-personal-legend/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The world has a soul and whoever understands that soul can also understand the language of many things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-world-has-a-soul-and-whoever-understands-that-soul-can-also/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [To love is to be in communion with the other and to discover in that other the spark of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/to-love-is-to-be-in-communion-with-the-other-and-to-discover-in-that/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [It is not enough to dream of the Impossible Love - it is necessary to conquer it too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/it-is-not-enough-to-dream-of-the-impossible-love-it-is-necessary-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Eat when it is time to eat. And walk when it is time to walk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/eat-when-it-is-time-to-eat-and-walk-when-it-is-time-to-walk/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [People are reading more and writing more because of the internet. So the virtual world is a way for me to listen to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/people-are-reading-more-and-writing-more-because-of-the-internet-so/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Joy is like sex – it begins and ends. I want pleasure. I want to be contended, but happiness? I no longer fall into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/joy-is-like-sex-it-begins-and-ends-i-want-pleasure-i-want-to-be/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Trudi se da zivis, sjecanja su za starije ljude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/trudi-se-da-zivis-sjecanja-su-za-starije-ljude/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I've always been a very restless person. I work hard, spend too much time looking after my son, I dance like a mad thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-ve-always-been-a-very-restless-person-i-work-hard-spend-too-much/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [When someone leaves, it's because someone else is about to arrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-someone-leaves-it-s-because-someone-else-is-about-to-arrive/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-past-and-the-future-become-unimportant-there-is-only-that-moment/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [She didn't need to understand the meaning of life; it was enough to find someone who did, and then fall asleep in his arms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/she-didn-t-need-to-understand-the-meaning-of-life-it-was-enough-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“The simpler the pose, the better; the more sober, the more beautiful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-simpler-the-pose-the-better-the-more-sober-the-more-beautiful/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) [Explore all 3,665 Paulo Coelho quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## 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": "You have understood what all great painters understand: in order to forget the rules, you must know them and respect them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paulo Coelho" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-have-understood-what-all-great-painters-understand-in-order-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-have-understood-what-all-great-painters-understand-in-order-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/499/paulo-coelho-10_artist_you-have-understood-what-all-great-paint_2261805.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/499/paulo-coelho-10_artist_you-have-understood-what-all-great-paint_2261805.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/499/paulo-coelho-10_artist_you-have-understood-what-all-great-paint_2261805.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You have understood what all great painters understand: in order to forget the rules, you must know them and…” — Paulo Coelho", "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": "Paulo Coelho", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You have understood what all great...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-have-understood-what-all-great-painters-understand-in-order-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-have-understood-what-all-great-painters-understand-in-order-to/#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 } } ] } ```