--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Of course you will say that I ought to be…" description: "\"Of course you will say that I ought to be practical and ought to try and paint the way they want me to paint. Well, I will tell you a secret. I have tr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/130/rembrandt-36374_artist_of-course-you-will-say-that-i-ought-to-b_2602321.png" --- # Of course you will say that I ought to be practical and… ![“Of course you will say that I ought to be practical and ought to try and paint the way they want me to paint. Well, I will tell you a secret. I have tried and I have tried very hard, but I can't do it. I just can't do it! And that is why I am just a little crazy.” quote by Rembrandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/130/rembrandt-36374_artist_of-course-you-will-say-that-i-ought-to-b_2602321.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/130/rembrandt-36374_artist_of-course-you-will-say-that-i-ought-to-b_2602321.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/130/rembrandt-36374_artist_of-course-you-will-say-that-i-ought-to-b_2602321.png) > “Of course you will say that I ought to be practical and ought to try and paint the way they want me to paint. Well, I will tell you a secret. I have tried and I have tried very hard, but I can't do it. I just can't do it! And that is why I am just a little crazy.” [Rembrandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rembrandt/) ## 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 feels forced to conform artistically, leading to frustration and a sense of madness. **In simple terms:** Creative pressure causes distress. Key Takeaway Seek authentic creative expression. Themes art creativity conformity Mood frustrated introspective Type advice self‑help When to use this quote - artistic projects - career choices - personal therapy Key Concepts self‑expression mental health Questions to Reflect On - What would you create without pressure? - How can you balance expectations and authenticity? A Different Perspective External expectations may stifle art. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Courses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courses/) [Crazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crazy/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ought/) [Paint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint/) [Paint Tell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint-tell-1956095/) [Paint Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint-way-270196/) [Practicals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practicals/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Tried Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tried-hard/) [Try Paint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/try-paint-1491305/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Want me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-me/) [Want Paint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-paint/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [I can't paint the way they want me to paint and they know that too](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rembrandt/i-can-t-paint-the-way-they-want-me-to-paint-and-they-know-that-too/) [Rembrandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rembrandt/) > [I can't draw. I can't paint. But what I can do is tell somebody else what to do. I'm a creator. I can tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-graff/i-can-t-draw-i-can-t-paint-but-what-i-can-do-is-tell-somebody-else/) [Laurence Graff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-graff/) > [I paint the way I spread butter on pumpernickel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-albers/i-paint-the-way-i-spread-butter-on-pumpernickel/) [Josef Albers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-albers/) > [Social media is awesome because I can somewhat paint myself the way I want people to see me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-abstract/social-media-is-awesome-because-i-can-somewhat-paint-myself-the-way-i/) [Kevin Abstract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-abstract/) > [“I wish I had the talent to paint the way I feel about you, for my words always feel inadequate. I imagine using red…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/i-wish-i-had-the-talent-to-paint-the-way-i-feel-about-you-for-my/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [I paint the way I do because I can keep on putting more and more things in - like drama, pain, anger, love, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-de-kooning/i-paint-the-way-i-do-because-i-can-keep-on-putting-more-and-more/) [Willem de Kooning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-de-kooning/) > [What I wish to show when I paint is the way I see things with my eyes and in my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raoul-dufy/what-i-wish-to-show-when-i-paint-is-the-way-i-see-things-with-my-eyes/) [Raoul Dufy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raoul-dufy/) > [Don't be afraid to scrape the paint off and do it again. This is the way you learn, trial and error, over and over,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-ross/don-t-be-afraid-to-scrape-the-paint-off-and-do-it-again-this-is-the/) [Bob Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-ross/) > [I would like to paint the way a bird sings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-monet/i-would-like-to-paint-the-way-a-bird-sings/) [Claude Monet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-monet/) > [I paint is the way I see things with my eyes and in my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raoul-dufy/i-paint-is-the-way-i-see-things-with-my-eyes-and-in-my-heart/) [Raoul Dufy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raoul-dufy/) > [I paint as a way of looking for myself in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sherald/i-paint-as-a-way-of-looking-for-myself-in-the-world/) [Amy Sherald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sherald/) > [When someone shows you who they really are, dont try to paint a new picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-someone-shows-you-who-they-really-are-dont-try-to-paint-a-new/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I just think that it's maybe fashionable today to try to take individual actions and individual failures and take the broadest possible brush and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-scott/i-just-think-that-it-s-maybe-fashionable-today-to-try-to-take/) [Lee Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-scott/) > [If you follow the process of a thought - any thought, not just about art - the thought changes. It has to do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-bleckner/if-you-follow-the-process-of-a-thought-any-thought-not-just-about-art/) [Ross Bleckner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-bleckner/) > [Seeing that I am so busily occupied with myself just now, I want to try to paint my self-portrait in writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/seeing-that-i-am-so-busily-occupied-with-myself-just-now-i-want-to/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) ## More by Rembrandt > [Try to put well in practice what you already know; and in so doing, you will in good time, discover the hidden things you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rembrandt/try-to-put-well-in-practice-what-you-already-know-and-in-so-doing-you/) [Rembrandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rembrandt/) > [A painting is complete when it has the shadows of a god.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rembrandt/a-painting-is-complete-when-it-has-the-shadows-of-a-god/) [Rembrandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rembrandt/) > [Painting is the grandchild of nature. It is related to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rembrandt/painting-is-the-grandchild-of-nature-it-is-related-to-god/) [Rembrandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rembrandt/) > [Old age is a hindrance to creativity but cannot crush my youthful spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rembrandt/old-age-is-a-hindrance-to-creativity-but-cannot-crush-my-youthful/) [Rembrandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rembrandt/) > [A painting is finished when the artist says it is finished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rembrandt/a-painting-is-finished-when-the-artist-says-it-is-finished/) [Rembrandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rembrandt/) > [I can't paint the way they want me to paint and they know that too](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rembrandt/i-can-t-paint-the-way-they-want-me-to-paint-and-they-know-that-too/) [Rembrandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rembrandt/) > [An honest man always values earning honor over wealth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rembrandt/an-honest-man-always-values-earning-honor-over-wealth/) [Rembrandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rembrandt/) > [A painting is not made to be sniffed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rembrandt/a-painting-is-not-made-to-be-sniffed/) [Rembrandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rembrandt/) > [Choose only one master - Nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rembrandt/choose-only-one-master-nature/) [Rembrandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rembrandt/) > [Sincerity is the eventual deception of all great men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rembrandt/sincerity-is-the-eventual-deception-of-all-great-men/) [Rembrandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rembrandt/) > [I envy the poet. He is encouraged toward drunkenness and wallows with nubile wenches while the painter must endure wretchedness and pain for his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rembrandt/i-envy-the-poet-he-is-encouraged-toward-drunkenness-and-wallows-with/) [Rembrandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rembrandt/) > [A work is finished when an artist realizes his intentions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rembrandt/a-work-is-finished-when-an-artist-realizes-his-intentions/) [Rembrandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rembrandt/) [Explore all 13 Rembrandt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rembrandt/) ## 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": "Of course you will say that I ought to be practical and ought to try and paint the way they want me to paint. Well, I will tell you a secret. I have tried and I have tried very hard, but I can't do it. I just can't do it! And that is why I am just a little crazy.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rembrandt" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rembrandt/of-course-you-will-say-that-i-ought-to-be-practical-and-ought-to-try/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rembrandt/of-course-you-will-say-that-i-ought-to-be-practical-and-ought-to-try/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/130/rembrandt-36374_artist_of-course-you-will-say-that-i-ought-to-b_2602321.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/130/rembrandt-36374_artist_of-course-you-will-say-that-i-ought-to-b_2602321.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/130/rembrandt-36374_artist_of-course-you-will-say-that-i-ought-to-b_2602321.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Of course you will say that I ought to be practical and ought to try and paint the way they want me to…” — Rembrandt", "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": "Rembrandt", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rembrandt/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Of course you will say that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rembrandt/of-course-you-will-say-that-i-ought-to-be-practical-and-ought-to-try/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rembrandt/of-course-you-will-say-that-i-ought-to-be-practical-and-ought-to-try/#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 } } ] } ```