--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Strokes carry a message whether you will…" description: "\"Strokes carry a message whether you will it or not. The stroke is just like the artist at the time he makes it. All the certainties, all the uncertaint..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/400/robert-henri-1803_art_strokes-carry-a-message-whether-you-will_2926855.png" --- # Strokes carry a message whether you will it or not. The… ![“Strokes carry a message whether you will it or not. The stroke is just like the artist at the time he makes it. All the certainties, all the uncertainties, all the bigness of his spirit and the littlenesses are in it.” quote by Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/400/robert-henri-1803_art_strokes-carry-a-message-whether-you-will_2926855.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/400/robert-henri-1803_art_strokes-carry-a-message-whether-you-will_2926855.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/400/robert-henri-1803_art_strokes-carry-a-message-whether-you-will_2926855.png) > “Strokes carry a message whether you will it or not. The stroke is just like the artist at the time he makes it. All the certainties, all the uncertainties, all the bigness of his spirit and the littlenesses are in it.” [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Each brushstroke embodies the artist’s spirit, merging certainty and uncertainty into a unified expression. **In simple terms:** Strokes reflect the artist’s whole being. Key Takeaway Value the process. Themes art expression uncertainty spirit Mood introspective inspired Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - painting - teaching art - art therapy Key Concepts Visual arts creative process philosophy of art Questions to Reflect On - How does uncertainty influence your creative work? - What does each stroke reveal about you? A Different Perspective Interpretation can be subjective. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Certainty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty/) [Messages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/messages/) [Revelations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revelations/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Uncertainty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncertainty/) ## Related quotes > [I know my sound when i hear it. My stroke is just my stroke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bland/i-know-my-sound-when-i-hear-it-my-stroke-is-just-my-stroke/) Michael Bland > [My dad died of a stroke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/my-dad-died-of-a-stroke/) [William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/) > [“A seemingly simple task like taking a bath or wearing a condom feels like multitasking to someone who suffers from hemiplegia or has only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-seemingly-simple-task-like-taking-a-bath-or-wearing-a-condom-feels/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [Then it crosses my mind, ‘But I’m a very busy woman! I don’t have time for a stroke!’](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-bolte-taylor/then-it-crosses-my-mind-but-i-m-a-very-busy-woman-i-don-t-have-time/) [Jill Bolte Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-bolte-taylor/) > [Only at the end of the last stroke of paint, you can begin to wonder what needs to be done next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-beal/only-at-the-end-of-the-last-stroke-of-paint-you-can-begin-to-wonder/) [Stephen Beal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-beal/) > [I feel vulnerable because my mind - because of the stroke, my mind doesn't focus. And then I feel vulnerable because I don't understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/i-feel-vulnerable-because-my-mind-because-of-the-stroke-my-mind-doesn/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [I have had hundreds and hundreds of stroke cases. My methods cured them--when they were so stiff they were almost dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-schulze/i-have-had-hundreds-and-hundreds-of-stroke-cases-my-methods-cured/) [Richard M. Schulze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-schulze/) > [You could pray all you want that you have a massive stroke while you're working and die, but possibly that won't happen, and you'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-chast/you-could-pray-all-you-want-that-you-have-a-massive-stroke-while-you/) [Roz Chast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-chast/) > [Writing nonfiction is more like sculpture, a matter of shaping the research into the finished thing. Novels are like paintings, specifically watercolors. Every stroke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/writing-nonfiction-is-more-like-sculpture-a-matter-of-shaping-the/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [One stroke fells not an oke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/one-stroke-fells-not-an-oke/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [Last year I had a stroke. It left me in bad shape. I had to teach myself how to walk and talk all over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-clark/last-year-i-had-a-stroke-it-left-me-in-bad-shape-i-had-to-teach/) [Dick Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-clark/) > [I've never once heard my mom complain about her stroke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-vonn/i-ve-never-once-heard-my-mom-complain-about-her-stroke/) [Lindsey Vonn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-vonn/) > [The Stroke Association has produced leaflets that set out clearly the health risks associated with stroke that African-Caribbean people face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linford-christie/the-stroke-association-has-produced-leaflets-that-set-out-clearly-the/) [Linford Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linford-christie/) > [There's a lot of evidence that fruits and vegetables are beneficial for reducing the risk of stroke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-willett/there-s-a-lot-of-evidence-that-fruits-and-vegetables-are-beneficial/) [Walter Willett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-willett/) > [If you have the feeling of choice, if you feel free, you will be better off. And when I say better off I mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/if-you-have-the-feeling-of-choice-if-you-feel-free-you-will-be-better/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) ## More by Robert Henri > [It is the common defect of modern art study. Too many students do not know why they draw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/it-is-the-common-defect-of-modern-art-study-too-many-students-do-not/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [Your only hope of satisfying others is in satisfying yourself. I speak of a great satisfaction, not a commercial satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/your-only-hope-of-satisfying-others-is-in-satisfying-yourself-i-speak/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [Keep a bad drawing until by study you have found out why it is bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/keep-a-bad-drawing-until-by-study-you-have-found-out-why-it-is-bad/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [Self-education only produces expressions of self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/self-education-only-produces-expressions-of-self/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [Genius is not a possession of the limited few, but exists in some degree in everyone. Where there is natural growth, a full and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/genius-is-not-a-possession-of-the-limited-few-but-exists-in-some/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [Your painting is the marking of your progression into nature, a sensation of something you see way beyond the two pretty colors over there.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/your-painting-is-the-marking-of-your-progression-into-nature-a/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [The sketch hunter moves through life as he finds it, not passing negligently the things he loves, but stopping to know them, and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/the-sketch-hunter-moves-through-life-as-he-finds-it-not-passing/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [There are pictures that manifest education and there are pictures that manifest love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/there-are-pictures-that-manifest-education-and-there-are-pictures/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [I am interested in the size of your intention. It is better to overstate the important than to understate it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/i-am-interested-in-the-size-of-your-intention-it-is-better-to/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [“We will be happy if we can get around to the idea that art is not an outside and extra thing; that it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/we-will-be-happy-if-we-can-get-around-to-the-idea-that-art-is-not-an/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [“It beats all the things that wealth can give and everything else in the world to say the things one believes, to put them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/it-beats-all-the-things-that-wealth-can-give-and-everything-else-in/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [“A GREAT PAINTER will know a great deal about how he did it, but still he will say, “How did I do it?” The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/a-great-painter-will-know-a-great-deal-about-how-he-did-it-but-still/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [“Concentrate on a single feature – as, build all toward one eye – make all lines lead toward that eye. (Robert Henri)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/concentrate-on-a-single-feature-as-build-all-toward-one-eye-make-all/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [Good composition is like a suspension bridge - each line adds strength and takes none away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/good-composition-is-like-a-suspension-bridge-each-line-adds-strength/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [Cherish your own emotions and never undervalue them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/cherish-your-own-emotions-and-never-undervalue-them/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) [Explore all 207 Robert Henri quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) ## 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 > [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": "Strokes carry a message whether you will it or not. The stroke is just like the artist at the time he makes it. All the certainties, all the uncertainties, all the bigness of his spirit and the littlenesses are in it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Henri" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/strokes-carry-a-message-whether-you-will-it-or-not-the-stroke-is-just/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/strokes-carry-a-message-whether-you-will-it-or-not-the-stroke-is-just/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/400/robert-henri-1803_art_strokes-carry-a-message-whether-you-will_2926855.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/400/robert-henri-1803_art_strokes-carry-a-message-whether-you-will_2926855.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/400/robert-henri-1803_art_strokes-carry-a-message-whether-you-will_2926855.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Strokes carry a message whether you will it or not. The stroke is just like the artist at the time he makes…” — Robert Henri", "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": "Robert Henri", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Strokes carry a message whether you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/strokes-carry-a-message-whether-you-will-it-or-not-the-stroke-is-just/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/strokes-carry-a-message-whether-you-will-it-or-not-the-stroke-is-just/#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 } } ] } ```