--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Start with a style and you are in chains…" description: "\"Start with a style and you are in chains, start with an idea and you are free.\" — Richard Avedon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/richard-avedon-10149_chains_start-with-a-style-and-you-are-in-chains_2912496.jpg" --- # Start with a style and you are in chains, start with an… ![“Start with a style and you are in chains, start with an idea and you are free.” quote by Richard Avedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/richard-avedon-10149_chains_start-with-a-style-and-you-are-in-chains_2912496.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/richard-avedon-10149_chains_start-with-a-style-and-you-are-in-chains_2912496.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/richard-avedon-10149_chains_start-with-a-style-and-you-are-in-chains_2912496.jpg) > “Start with a style and you are in chains, start with an idea and you are free.” [Richard Avedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-avedon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Starting with a style limits freedom; starting with an idea frees creativity. **In simple terms:** Style constraints limit; ideas liberate. Key Takeaway Begin with concepts, not preset styles. Themes creativity freedom design Mood inspired thoughtful Type artistic educational When to use this quote - fashion design - advertising campaign - personal project - visual art Key Concepts conceptual thinking artistic process Questions to Reflect On - How can you blend style with idea? - What idea excites you most? A Different Perspective Style can also inspire innovation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chains/) [Fashion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashion/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Style](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/style/) ## Related quotes > [“I had no idea how free we were. That's how free I was.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-cowell/i-had-no-idea-how-free-we-were-that-s-how-free-i-was/) [Brendan Cowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-cowell/) > [There are times when we in Little Dragon write from scratch together, but everyone has their own lives, so it just seems to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukimi-nagano/there-are-times-when-we-in-little-dragon-write-from-scratch-together/) [Yukimi Nagano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukimi-nagano/) > [I like to start with an idea, but then again, I might be sitting at the keyboard, and just playing a bunch of chords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-warren/i-like-to-start-with-an-idea-but-then-again-i-might-be-sitting-at-the/) [Diane Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-warren/) > [What usually happens with me is that I start with one idea in mind and then something else happens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-hanna/what-usually-happens-with-me-is-that-i-start-with-one-idea-in-mind/) [Kathleen Hanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-hanna/) > [I always start out with an idea, even a boring idea, that becomes a question I don't have answers to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/i-always-start-out-with-an-idea-even-a-boring-idea-that-becomes-a/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [My poems often start with an idea, some kind of inspiration. I don't expect anything. Every now and then something like "The One Truth"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-schultz/my-poems-often-start-with-an-idea-some-kind-of-inspiration-i-don-t/) [Philip Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-schultz/) > [I basically have two ways I start writing. Either I'll start with something about myself, or something that happened to me that seemed important,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-martin/i-basically-have-two-ways-i-start-writing-either-i-ll-start-with/) [Chelsea Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-martin/) > [Once you start on an idea it proliferates in itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lore-segal/once-you-start-on-an-idea-it-proliferates-in-itself/) [Lore Segal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lore-segal/) > [I don't start with an idea or concept in the sense that I flesh out an idea or concept and set it at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ball/i-don-t-start-with-an-idea-or-concept-in-the-sense-that-i-flesh-out/) [Jesse Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ball/) > [A publication depends on a great idea, not there being a market out there. You start with an idea rather than trying to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-heiskell/a-publication-depends-on-a-great-idea-not-there-being-a-market-out/) Andrew Heiskell > [The entrepreneurs that really make it are the ones that start with an idea but are ready to change it at a moment's notice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-stoppelman/the-entrepreneurs-that-really-make-it-are-the-ones-that-start-with-an/) [Jeremy Stoppelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-stoppelman/) > [You start with an idea but then so many things can happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-marclay/you-start-with-an-idea-but-then-so-many-things-can-happen/) [Christian Marclay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-marclay/) > [The most important step of all is the first step. Start something! What if that idea you have in the back of your head…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-mycoskie/the-most-important-step-of-all-is-the-first-step-start-something-what/) [Blake Mycoskie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-mycoskie/) > [My films usually start with an idea that I get while walking the streets. For example, I got the idea for 'Guard Dog' when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-plympton/my-films-usually-start-with-an-idea-that-i-get-while-walking-the/) [Bill Plympton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-plympton/) > [Unchecked, the new tolerance will sooner or later put many people in chains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson/unchecked-the-new-tolerance-will-sooner-or-later-put-many-people-in/) [D. A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson/) ## More by Richard Avedon > [A photographic portrait is a picture of someone who knows he is being photographed, and what he does with this knowledge is as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-avedon/a-photographic-portrait-is-a-picture-of-someone-who-knows-he-is-being/) [Richard Avedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-avedon/) > [Snapshots that have been taken of me working show something I was not aware of at all, that over and over again I'm holding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-avedon/snapshots-that-have-been-taken-of-me-working-show-something-i-was-not/) [Richard Avedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-avedon/) > [Sometimes I think all my pictures are just pictures of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-avedon/sometimes-i-think-all-my-pictures-are-just-pictures-of-me/) [Richard Avedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-avedon/) > [There's always been a separation between fashion and what I call my deeper work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-avedon/there-s-always-been-a-separation-between-fashion-and-what-i-call-my/) [Richard Avedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-avedon/) > [I can see myself as a very old man in a terrific wheelchair. Only, I won't be photographing the tree outside my window, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-avedon/i-can-see-myself-as-a-very-old-man-in-a-terrific-wheelchair-only-i/) [Richard Avedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-avedon/) > [I am, and forever will be, devastated by the gift of Audrey Hepburn before my camera. I cannot lift her to greater heights. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-avedon/i-am-and-forever-will-be-devastated-by-the-gift-of-audrey-hepburn/) [Richard Avedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-avedon/) > [I've photographed just about everyone in the world. But what I hope to do is photograph people of accomplishment, not celebrity, and help define…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-avedon/i-ve-photographed-just-about-everyone-in-the-world-but-what-i-hope-to/) [Richard Avedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-avedon/) > [If each photograph steals a bit of the soul, isn't it possible that I give up pieces of mine every time I take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-avedon/if-each-photograph-steals-a-bit-of-the-soul-isn-t-it-possible-that-i/) [Richard Avedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-avedon/) > [Marilyn Monroe gave more to the still camera than any actress, any woman I've ever photographed; infinitely more patient, more demanding of herself and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-avedon/marilyn-monroe-gave-more-to-the-still-camera-than-any-actress-any/) [Richard Avedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-avedon/) > [ It's in trying to direct the traffic between Artiface \[sic\] and Candor, without being run over, that I'm confronted with the questions about photography… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-avedon/it-s-in-trying-to-direct-the-traffic-between-artiface-sic-and-candor/) [Richard Avedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-avedon/) > [A portrait is not a likeness. The moment an emotion or fact is transformed into a photograph it is no longer a fact but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-avedon/a-portrait-is-not-a-likeness-the-moment-an-emotion-or-fact-is/) [Richard Avedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-avedon/) > [The moment an emotion or fact is transformed into a photograph it is no longer a fact but an opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-avedon/the-moment-an-emotion-or-fact-is-transformed-into-a-photograph-it-is/) [Richard Avedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-avedon/) > [When I was a boy, my family took great care with our snapshots. We really planned them. We made compositions. We posed in front…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-avedon/when-i-was-a-boy-my-family-took-great-care-with-our-snapshots-we/) [Richard Avedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-avedon/) > [I don't really remember the day when I stood behind my camera with Henry Kissinger on the other side. I am sure he doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-avedon/i-don-t-really-remember-the-day-when-i-stood-behind-my-camera-with/) [Richard Avedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-avedon/) > [And if a day goes by without my doing something related to photography, it's as though I've neglected something essential to my existence, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-avedon/and-if-a-day-goes-by-without-my-doing-something-related-to/) [Richard Avedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-avedon/) [Explore all 67 Richard Avedon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-avedon/) ## More Chains quotes > [Unchecked, the new tolerance will sooner or later put many people in chains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson/unchecked-the-new-tolerance-will-sooner-or-later-put-many-people-in/) [D. A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson/) > [Somewhere somebody must have some sense. Men must see that force begets force, hate begets hate, toughness begets toughness. And it is all a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/somewhere-somebody-must-have-some-sense-men-must-see-that-force/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [The Chains of conformity click in tiresomely monotonous unison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-sweet/the-chains-of-conformity-click-in-tiresomely-monotonous-unison/) [Leonard Sweet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-sweet/) > [The dark ages still reign over all humanity, and the depth and persistence of this domination are only now becoming clear. This Dark Ages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/the-dark-ages-still-reign-over-all-humanity-and-the-depth-and/) [R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/) > [I don't have a huge amount of gear, but on the software side, I have a number of plug-in chains that act as abstracted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-hopkins/i-don-t-have-a-huge-amount-of-gear-but-on-the-software-side-i-have-a/) [Jon Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-hopkins/) > [We don't have a farm-to-table food safety system. I keep saying this. It came as a big surprise to the FDA that tomatoes were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-nestle/we-don-t-have-a-farm-to-table-food-safety-system-i-keep-saying-this/) [Marion Nestle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-nestle/) > [So many times we come to Jesus in worship and ask Him for things that He already IS and has already done... What a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-nockels/so-many-times-we-come-to-jesus-in-worship-and-ask-him-for-things-that/) Christy Nockels > [How can I set free anyone who doesn't have the guts to stand up alone and declare his own freedom? I think it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/how-can-i-set-free-anyone-who-doesn-t-have-the-guts-to-stand-up-alone/) [Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/) > [I'm bigger than you! I'm higher on the food chain - get in my belly!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-myers/i-m-bigger-than-you-i-m-higher-on-the-food-chain-get-in-my-belly/) [Mike Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-myers/) > [The chains will fall off freely, no more worries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dl-watson/the-chains-will-fall-off-freely-no-more-worries/) DL WATSON > [I am ever mindful of the legacy of my grandfather, the founder of this Kingdom, who had said to me that he perceived his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-hussein-i/i-am-ever-mindful-of-the-legacy-of-my-grandfather-the-founder-of-this/) [King Hussein I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-hussein-i/) > [Think about it: we went into slavery pagans; we came out Christians. We went into slavery pieces of property; we came out American citizens.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/think-about-it-we-went-into-slavery-pagans-we-came-out-christians-we/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [To one who is accustomed to thinking a lot, every new thought that he hears or reads about immediately appears as a link in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/to-one-who-is-accustomed-to-thinking-a-lot-every-new-thought-that-he/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Man's ethics must not end with man, but should extend to the universe. He must regain the consciousness of the great Chain of Life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/man-s-ethics-must-not-end-with-man-but-should-extend-to-the-universe/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [To sigh, yet feel no pain; To weep, yet scarce know why; To sport an hour with Beauty's chain, Then throw it idly by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/to-sigh-yet-feel-no-pain-to-weep-yet-scarce-know-why-to-sport-an-hour/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) [Browse all 1,639 Chains quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chains/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Start with a style and you are in chains, start with an idea and you are free.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Avedon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-avedon/start-with-a-style-and-you-are-in-chains-start-with-an-idea-and-you/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Chains" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-avedon/start-with-a-style-and-you-are-in-chains-start-with-an-idea-and-you/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/richard-avedon-10149_chains_start-with-a-style-and-you-are-in-chains_2912496.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/richard-avedon-10149_chains_start-with-a-style-and-you-are-in-chains_2912496.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/richard-avedon-10149_chains_start-with-a-style-and-you-are-in-chains_2912496.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Start with a style and you are in chains, start with an idea and you are free.” — Richard Avedon", "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": "Richard Avedon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-avedon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Start with a style and you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-avedon/start-with-a-style-and-you-are-in-chains-start-with-an-idea-and-you/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-avedon/start-with-a-style-and-you-are-in-chains-start-with-an-idea-and-you/#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 } } ] } ```