---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most artists never get a chance to be…"
description: "\"Most artists never get a chance to be Picasso, but that doesn't mean you would stop painting.\" — Teddy Thompson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/teddy-thompson-18600_art_most-artists-never-get-a-chance-to-be-pi_565370.png"
---

#  Most artists never get a chance to be Picasso, but that…

![“Most artists never get a chance to be Picasso, but that doesn't mean you would stop painting.” quote by Teddy Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/teddy-thompson-18600_art_most-artists-never-get-a-chance-to-be-pi_565370.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/teddy-thompson-18600_art_most-artists-never-get-a-chance-to-be-pi_565370.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/teddy-thompson-18600_art_most-artists-never-get-a-chance-to-be-pi_565370.png)

> “Most artists never get a chance to be Picasso, but that doesn't mean you would stop painting.”

[Teddy Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-thompson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Even without fame, artists should continue creating and expressing themselves.

**In simple terms:** Keep creating regardless of fame.

Key Takeaway

Persist in art.

Themes

creativity perseverance artistic integrity

Mood

hopeful determined

Type

inspirational practical

When to use this quote

- home studio work
- local exhibitions
- online publishing
- community art projects

Key Concepts

self‑expression motivation

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you measure artistic success?
- What fuels your creative drive?

A Different Perspective

External validation can be elusive.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/)

## Related quotes

> [We were all born, and we all came to the music business with everything we had. Some of us just don't get a chance.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erykah-badu/we-were-all-born-and-we-all-came-to-the-music-business-with/)

[Erykah Badu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erykah-badu/)

> [If you don't know the right people or have the right connections, you may never be discovered. With 'Opening Act,' we are democratizing a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-lythgoe/if-you-don-t-know-the-right-people-or-have-the-right-connections-you/)

[Nigel Lythgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-lythgoe/)

> [Painters should shut up and paint and when we stop painting we should dance or have sex or get a massage or take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-martin/painters-should-shut-up-and-paint-and-when-we-stop-painting-we-should/)

[Chris Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-martin/)

> [The painter should paint not only what he has in front of him, but also what he sees inside himself. If he sees nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caspar-david-friedrich/the-painter-should-paint-not-only-what-he-has-in-front-of-him-but-2/)

[Caspar David Friedrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caspar-david-friedrich/)

> [I can't let things go when it comes to stop painting. It has to be my way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-ackermann/i-can-t-let-things-go-when-it-comes-to-stop-painting-it-has-to-be-my/)

[Rita Ackermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-ackermann/)

> [Without a good cultural policy, without adequate help, we will always have individualists, shooting stars who are rapidly forgotten or who stop painting for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-allen/without-a-good-cultural-policy-without-adequate-help-we-will-always/)

[Ralph Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-allen/)

> [I realized that I had things in my head not like what I had been taught - not like what I had seen -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/i-realized-that-i-had-things-in-my-head-not-like-what-i-had-been/)

[Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/)

> [I never want to stop painting. I'm 94 now. What's my secret? I just keep thinking about the painting I'm going to do tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-soulages/i-never-want-to-stop-painting-i-m-94-now-what-s-my-secret-i-just-keep/)

[Pierre Soulages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-soulages/)

> [I'm not going to stop painting just to take orders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hockney/i-m-not-going-to-stop-painting-just-to-take-orders/)

[David Hockney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hockney/)

> [People won't stop painting, just as they won't stop making music or dancing. This is a facility we have. Children don't stop doing it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/people-won-t-stop-painting-just-as-they-won-t-stop-making-music-or/)

[Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/)

> [If he sees nothing within, then he should stop painting what is in front of him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caspar-david-friedrich/if-he-sees-nothing-within-then-he-should-stop-painting-what-is-in/)

[Caspar David Friedrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caspar-david-friedrich/)

> [“If you stop painting policemen in order to paint windmills, criticism remains so overpoweringly policeman-conscious that even a windmill is seen as something with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-milne-2/if-you-stop-painting-policemen-in-order-to-paint-windmills-criticism/)

[A.A. Milne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-milne-2/)

> [“It's like art, you know? Picasso had to prove to the world he can paint the right way, before he goes putting both eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/it-s-like-art-you-know-picasso-had-to-prove-to-the-world-he-can-paint/)

[Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

> [Somebody was saying to Picasso that he ought to make pictures of things the way they are-objective pictures. He mumbled that he wasn't quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/somebody-was-saying-to-picasso-that-he-ought-to-make-pictures-of/)

[Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/)

> [“Where visual artists are concerned, the Baroque sculptor and architect Bernini and the painter and sculptor Picasso were clearly adept at both experiential and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-gallagher/where-visual-artists-are-concerned-the-baroque-sculptor-and-architect/)

[Winifred Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-gallagher/)

## More by Teddy Thompson

> [The state of radio is not great. It's like playing the lottery. The chances of hitting are mind boggling slim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-thompson/the-state-of-radio-is-not-great-it-s-like-playing-the-lottery-the/)

[Teddy Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-thompson/)

> [People think unless you have loops and electronics and so on, you must be in your 50s. I quite like a lot of things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-thompson/people-think-unless-you-have-loops-and-electronics-and-so-on-you-must/)

[Teddy Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-thompson/)

> [My career could've been anything, I just wasn't that good at other things. I'd say it was fairly easy starting out as I did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-thompson/my-career-could-ve-been-anything-i-just-wasn-t-that-good-at-other/)

[Teddy Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-thompson/)

> [I went to a boarding school when I was 13, and it was a very arty school, so there was an opportunity for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-thompson/i-went-to-a-boarding-school-when-i-was-13-and-it-was-a-very-arty/)

[Teddy Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-thompson/)

> [I'm never worried about being upstaged. I love to have the best, most individual people come in and see if we hit on something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-thompson/i-m-never-worried-about-being-upstaged-i-love-to-have-the-best-most/)

[Teddy Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-thompson/)

> [Any kind of creativity is not settling down into a happy little space. I don't try to be mellow or anything. I think I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-thompson/any-kind-of-creativity-is-not-settling-down-into-a-happy-little-space/)

[Teddy Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-thompson/)

> [I still do lots of gigs where I'm the support act and people are chatting through my set, but I've got better at grabbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-thompson/i-still-do-lots-of-gigs-where-i-m-the-support-act-and-people-are/)

[Teddy Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-thompson/)

> [I remember writing 'The One I Can't Have' at the kitchen table. I was looking at a picture of Truman Capote with Marilyn Monroe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-thompson/i-remember-writing-the-one-i-can-t-have-at-the-kitchen-table-i-was/)

[Teddy Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-thompson/)

> [I like England more than I did when I left. It's become a bit of a better country in the last ten years, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-thompson/i-like-england-more-than-i-did-when-i-left-it-s-become-a-bit-of-a/)

[Teddy Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-thompson/)

> [To say how you would react if you were really storming the charts and had people running around after you... who's to say how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-thompson/to-say-how-you-would-react-if-you-were-really-storming-the-charts-and/)

[Teddy Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-thompson/)

> [It's amazing that you can listen to any song and you can always tell when there's some substance beneath it and when there isn't.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-thompson/it-s-amazing-that-you-can-listen-to-any-song-and-you-can-always-tell/)

[Teddy Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-thompson/)

> [Internet radio stations like KCRW do take you everywhere, yet that's just one of a hundred small things you have to do to succeed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-thompson/internet-radio-stations-like-kcrw-do-take-you-everywhere-yet-that-s/)

[Teddy Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-thompson/)

> [I used to listen to my dad a lot as a way of trying to be close to him, as well, because my parents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-thompson/i-used-to-listen-to-my-dad-a-lot-as-a-way-of-trying-to-be-close-to/)

[Teddy Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-thompson/)

> [I do think it's probably true to a certain extent that you tend to sing music that fits your voice. If you're Lou Reed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-thompson/i-do-think-it-s-probably-true-to-a-certain-extent-that-you-tend-to/)

[Teddy Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-thompson/)

> [For a long time I was trying to be poppier and younger. I didn't want to be on public radio or do any of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-thompson/for-a-long-time-i-was-trying-to-be-poppier-and-younger-i-didn-t-want/)

[Teddy Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-thompson/)

[Explore all 34 Teddy Thompson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-thompson/)

## 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": "Most artists never get a chance to be Picasso, but that doesn't mean you would stop painting.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Teddy Thompson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-thompson/most-artists-never-get-a-chance-to-be-picasso-but-that-doesn-t-mean/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-thompson/most-artists-never-get-a-chance-to-be-picasso-but-that-doesn-t-mean/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/teddy-thompson-18600_art_most-artists-never-get-a-chance-to-be-pi_565370.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/teddy-thompson-18600_art_most-artists-never-get-a-chance-to-be-pi_565370.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/teddy-thompson-18600_art_most-artists-never-get-a-chance-to-be-pi_565370.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Most artists never get a chance to be Picasso, but that doesn't mean you would stop painting.” — Teddy Thompson",
                "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": "Teddy Thompson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-thompson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Most artists never get a chance...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-thompson/most-artists-never-get-a-chance-to-be-picasso-but-that-doesn-t-mean/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-thompson/most-artists-never-get-a-chance-to-be-picasso-but-that-doesn-t-mean/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
