--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I would like to be a great artist. I…" description: "\"I would like to be a great artist. I would quit pitching if I could paint like Monet or Rousseau. But I cant. What I can do is pitch, and I can do that..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a0/tom-seaver-16373_art_i-would-like-to-be-a-great-artist-i-woul_251689.jpg" --- # I would like to be a great artist. I would quit pitching… ![“I would like to be a great artist. I would quit pitching if I could paint like Monet or Rousseau. But I cant. What I can do is pitch, and I can do that very well.” quote by Tom Seaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a0/tom-seaver-16373_art_i-would-like-to-be-a-great-artist-i-woul_251689.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a0/tom-seaver-16373_art_i-would-like-to-be-a-great-artist-i-woul_251689.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a0/tom-seaver-16373_art_i-would-like-to-be-a-great-artist-i-woul_251689.jpg) > “I would like to be a great artist. I would quit pitching if I could paint like Monet or Rousseau. But I cant. What I can do is pitch, and I can do that very well.” [Tom Seaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-seaver/) ## 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 acknowledges limits in artistic skill, choosing to excel in a different talent instead of pursuing painting. **In simple terms:** Can't paint like masters, so focuses on pitching. Key Takeaway Leverage existing strengths rather than chasing unrealistic goals. Themes career ambition self‑awareness skill assessment Mood thoughtful determined Type career advice self‑reflection When to use this quote - professional pitching - career planning - artistic aspirations - skill development Key Concepts creative trade‑offs personal fulfillment Questions to Reflect On - What steps could you take to improve your painting? - How can you integrate artistic practice with your current expertise? A Different Perspective May overlook potential growth in art by dismissing it early. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Great art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-art/) [Great artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-artist/) [Pitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pitch/) ## Related quotes > [Gertrude Jekyll, like Monet, was a painter with poor eyesight, and their gardens - his at Giverny in the Seine valley, hers in Surrey…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-perenyi/gertrude-jekyll-like-monet-was-a-painter-with-poor-eyesight-and-their/) [Eleanor Perenyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-perenyi/) > [My, I like Judy Holliday! She looks like a Monet model. And she's so - so defenseless. I like defenseless people. They're the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-hepburn/my-i-like-judy-holliday-she-looks-like-a-monet-model-and-she-s-so-so/) [Katharine Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hepburn/) > [I like, you may say, the glitter and colour that comes from the mouth, and I've always hoped in a sense to be able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/i-like-you-may-say-the-glitter-and-colour-that-comes-from-the-mouth/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [Somebody can paint with a fine brush like Monet and do millions of little dots or somebody can splatter it up there like Kandinsky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-wilson/somebody-can-paint-with-a-fine-brush-like-monet-and-do-millions-of/) [Patrick Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-wilson/) > [Monet's garden must be included with his works, because he combined the magic of an adaptation of nature with the work of a painter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-clemenceau/monet-s-garden-must-be-included-with-his-works-because-he-combined/) [Georges Clemenceau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-clemenceau/) > [“What keeps my heart awake is colorful silence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-monet/what-keeps-my-heart-awake-is-colorful-silence/) [Claude Monet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-monet/) > [When this girl at the museum asked me who I liked better, Monet or Manet, I said, "I like mayonnaise." She just stared at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/when-this-girl-at-the-museum-asked-me-who-i-liked-better-monet-or/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [If all of the steps of surrender are present, then a great Rembrandt or Monet will evoke love because the artist is simply there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/if-all-of-the-steps-of-surrender-are-present-then-a-great-rembrandt/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I'm the guy who happened to be home the night Kat came to steal a Monet."- Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-carter/i-m-the-guy-who-happened-to-be-home-the-night-kat-came-to-steal-a/) [Ally Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-carter/) > [You see, Greg, my mother is going through a feline phase. Blinky is a Persian,' Hale said simply, as if that should explain everything.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-carter/you-see-greg-my-mother-is-going-through-a-feline-phase-blinky-is-a/) [Ally Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-carter/) > [It may well be that the pictures of Courbet, Manet, Monet and their like contain beauties which escape the notice of such old romantic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophile-gautier/it-may-well-be-that-the-pictures-of-courbet-manet-monet-and-their/) [Theophile Gautier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophile-gautier/) > [Monet was like a conductor. He painted with quite a straight arm and used bold strokes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-armitage/monet-was-like-a-conductor-he-painted-with-quite-a-straight-arm-and/) [Richard Armitage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-armitage/) > [“Art takes time— Monet grew his gardens before he painted them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atticus-poetry/art-takes-time-monet-grew-his-gardens-before-he-painted-them/) [Atticus Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atticus-poetry/) > [If, I can someday see M. Claude Monet's garden, I feel sure that I shall see something that is not so much a garden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/if-i-can-someday-see-m-claude-monet-s-garden-i-feel-sure-that-i-shall/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“The very name Impressionism is taken from an Atlantic Ocean painting - that of Monet, of sunrise in the harbor of Le Havre, done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-winchester/the-very-name-impressionism-is-taken-from-an-atlantic-ocean-painting/) [Simon winchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-winchester/) ## More by Tom Seaver > [There's nothing wrong with pitch counts. But not when it's spit out by a computer, and the computer does not look at an individual's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-seaver/there-s-nothing-wrong-with-pitch-counts-but-not-when-it-s-spit-out-by/) [Tom Seaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-seaver/) > [The artful pitcher must take the inevitable peaks and valleys of pitching in stride and never give in to the batters or lose sight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-seaver/the-artful-pitcher-must-take-the-inevitable-peaks-and-valleys-of/) [Tom Seaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-seaver/) > [It takes 20 victories for people to recognize you as a great pitcher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-seaver/it-takes-20-victories-for-people-to-recognize-you-as-a-great-pitcher/) [Tom Seaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-seaver/) > [Take a look at all of them: Marichal, Jenkins, Spahn - what do you think made them successful? They conditioned their arms by pitching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-seaver/take-a-look-at-all-of-them-marichal-jenkins-spahn-what-do-you-think/) [Tom Seaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-seaver/) > [I'm a huge advocate of pitching. You have to have good pitching as the solid core, the foundation. It keeps you in every game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-seaver/i-m-a-huge-advocate-of-pitching-you-have-to-have-good-pitching-as-the/) [Tom Seaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-seaver/) > [The thing most people don't understand is that pitching isn't the same every time out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-seaver/the-thing-most-people-don-t-understand-is-that-pitching-isn-t-the/) [Tom Seaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-seaver/) > [Once a year, I take my whole wine team down to see the Giants, and we meet the players. I've never seen anyone pitch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-seaver/once-a-year-i-take-my-whole-wine-team-down-to-see-the-giants-and-we/) [Tom Seaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-seaver/) > [The good rising fastball is the best pitch in baseball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-seaver/the-good-rising-fastball-is-the-best-pitch-in-baseball/) [Tom Seaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-seaver/) > [God is living in New York, and he's a Mets fan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-seaver/god-is-living-in-new-york-and-he-s-a-mets-fan/) [Tom Seaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-seaver/) > [There are only two places in the league - first place and no place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-seaver/there-are-only-two-places-in-the-league-first-place-and-no-place/) [Tom Seaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-seaver/) > [Some pitchers want to be known as the fastest throwers that ever lived. Some want to win 30 games in one season. Some want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-seaver/some-pitchers-want-to-be-known-as-the-fastest-throwers-that-ever/) [Tom Seaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-seaver/) > [My pitch count as a general rule was 135. And I knew how many pitches I had when I went to the mound for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-seaver/my-pitch-count-as-a-general-rule-was-135-and-i-knew-how-many-pitches/) [Tom Seaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-seaver/) > [A good professional athlete must have the love of a little boy. And the good players feel the kind of love for the game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-seaver/a-good-professional-athlete-must-have-the-love-of-a-little-boy-and/) [Tom Seaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-seaver/) > [I had 12 years under my belt of baseball at the amateur level before I got to the big leagues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-seaver/i-had-12-years-under-my-belt-of-baseball-at-the-amateur-level-before/) [Tom Seaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-seaver/) > [Imagine if these computer geeks who are running baseball now were allowed to run a war? They'd be telling our soldiers: 'That's enough. You've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-seaver/imagine-if-these-computer-geeks-who-are-running-baseball-now-were/) [Tom Seaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-seaver/) [Explore all 40 Tom Seaver quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-seaver/) ## 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": "I would like to be a great artist. I would quit pitching if I could paint like Monet or Rousseau. But I cant. What I can do is pitch, and I can do that very well.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Seaver" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-seaver/i-would-like-to-be-a-great-artist-i-would-quit-pitching-if-i-could/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-seaver/i-would-like-to-be-a-great-artist-i-would-quit-pitching-if-i-could/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a0/tom-seaver-16373_art_i-would-like-to-be-a-great-artist-i-woul_251689.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a0/tom-seaver-16373_art_i-would-like-to-be-a-great-artist-i-woul_251689.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a0/tom-seaver-16373_art_i-would-like-to-be-a-great-artist-i-woul_251689.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I would like to be a great artist. I would quit pitching if I could paint like Monet or Rousseau. But I…” — Tom Seaver", "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": "Tom Seaver", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-seaver/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I would like to be a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-seaver/i-would-like-to-be-a-great-artist-i-would-quit-pitching-if-i-could/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-seaver/i-would-like-to-be-a-great-artist-i-would-quit-pitching-if-i-could/#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 } } ] } ```