--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I consciously choose the dog's path…" description: "\"I consciously choose the dog's path through life. I shall be poor; I shall be a painter...\" — Vincent Van Gogh" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2d/vincent-van-gogh-486_artist_i-consciously-choose-the-dog-s-path-thro_2544724.jpg" --- # I consciously choose the dog's path through life. I shall… ![“I consciously choose the dog's path through life. I shall be poor; I shall be a painter...” quote by Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2d/vincent-van-gogh-486_artist_i-consciously-choose-the-dog-s-path-thro_2544724.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2d/vincent-van-gogh-486_artist_i-consciously-choose-the-dog-s-path-thro_2544724.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2d/vincent-van-gogh-486_artist_i-consciously-choose-the-dog-s-path-thro_2544724.jpg) > “I consciously choose the dog's path through life. I shall be poor; I shall be a painter...” [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choosing a humble, artistic path may lead to poverty but fulfills personal authenticity. **In simple terms:** Accept poverty for artistic truth. Key Takeaway Embrace authentic creative path. Themes art poverty authenticity choice Mood reflective melancholic Type inspirational personal When to use this quote - career choice - artistic pursuit - financial planning - self‑acceptance Key Concepts existentialism creative freedom Questions to Reflect On - What sacrifices are worth artistic integrity? - Can poverty coexist with creative fulfillment? A Different Perspective May romanticize struggle, ignoring practical needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) ## Related quotes > [I'm always happy when people choose to get another dog because it's a healthy and healing thing to do, and there are millions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-katz/i-m-always-happy-when-people-choose-to-get-another-dog-because-it-s-a/) [Jon Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-katz/) > [If they let me choose between you and the dog, I'll choose the dog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-depp/if-they-let-me-choose-between-you-and-the-dog-i-ll-choose-the-dog/) [Johnny Depp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-depp/) > [“When you consciously choose to do what you love, life becomes a pleasure and ceases to be a chore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-leigh-mercree/when-you-consciously-choose-to-do-what-you-love-life-becomes-a/) [Amy Leigh Mercree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-leigh-mercree/) > [“When you wake up each morning, take a moment to think about the kind of life you want to have. Consciously choose to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-wake-up-each-morning-take-a-moment-to-think-about-the-kind/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To tap into the happiness within, an important first step is to consciously CHOOSE happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-tap-into-the-happiness-within-an-important-first-step-is-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you consciously choose to be ordinary, you become extraordinary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaggi-vasudev/when-you-consciously-choose-to-be-ordinary-you-become-extraordinary/) [Jaggi Vasudev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaggi-vasudev/) > [“Our filter bubble affects our ability to consciously choose how our soul wants to live. We may think we are guiding our own destiny,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/padma-aon-prakasha/our-filter-bubble-affects-our-ability-to-consciously-choose-how-our/) [Padma Aon Prakasha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/padma-aon-prakasha/) > [“If you don’t consciously choose trust and love in each moment, your subconscious policies will choose for you, and they usually choose fear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-giles/if-you-don-t-consciously-choose-trust-and-love-in-each-moment-your/) [Kimberly Giles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-giles/) > [“A person doesn't consciously choose what he focuses on. Those things choose you, and, once they do, nothing, it seems, can shake them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/a-person-doesn-t-consciously-choose-what-he-focuses-on-those-things/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [I have to very consciously choose the kind of work I want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirti-kulhari/i-have-to-very-consciously-choose-the-kind-of-work-i-want-to-do/) [Kirti Kulhari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirti-kulhari/) > [“The truth is, many people do not consciously choose monogamy; society chooses it for them, and it becomes the default.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristan-taormino/the-truth-is-many-people-do-not-consciously-choose-monogamy-society/) [Tristan Taormino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristan-taormino/) > [The more conscious we become the more consciously we choose that which we set in motion to create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-myss/the-more-conscious-we-become-the-more-consciously-we-choose-that/) [Caroline Myss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-myss/) > [We must break the mental patterns that no longer serve us, and we have the power to consciously choose thoughts that empower us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/we-must-break-the-mental-patterns-that-no-longer-serve-us-and-we-have/) Senoraroy > [And as long as you’re making choices unconsciously, you can’t consciously choose to change that ineffective behavior and turn it into productive habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-hardy/and-as-long-as-you-re-making-choices-unconsciously-you-can-t/) [Darren Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-hardy/) > [“You are here to make a difference, to either improve the world or worsen it. And whether or not you consciously choose to, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/you-are-here-to-make-a-difference-to-either-improve-the-world-or/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) ## More by Vincent Van Gogh > [What am I in most people's eyes? A nonentity or an eccentric and disagreeable man... I should want my work to show what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/what-am-i-in-most-people-s-eyes-a-nonentity-or-an-eccentric-and/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [The heart of man is very much like the sea, it has its storms, it has its tides and in its depths it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/the-heart-of-man-is-very-much-like-the-sea-it-has-its-storms-it-has/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [“I take great care of myself by carefully shutting myself away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/i-take-great-care-of-myself-by-carefully-shutting-myself-away/) [Vincent van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [There certainly is an affinity between a person and his work, but it is not easy to define what this affinity is, and on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/there-certainly-is-an-affinity-between-a-person-and-his-work-but-it/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [I confess I do not know why, but looking at the stars always makes me dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/i-confess-i-do-not-know-why-but-looking-at-the-stars-always-makes-me/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [Ah, Manet has come very, very close to it and Courbet - the marrying of form and colour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/ah-manet-has-come-very-very-close-to-it-and-courbet-the-marrying-of/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [We must not judge God from this world. It's just a study that didn't come off. It's only a master who could make such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/we-must-not-judge-god-from-this-world-it-s-just-a-study-that-didn-t/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/our-goals-can-only-be-reached-through-a-vehicle-of-a-plan-in-which-we/) [Vincent van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [One can never study nature too much and too hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/one-can-never-study-nature-too-much-and-too-hard/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [But by fighting the difficulties in which one finds oneself, an inner strength develops from within our heart, which improves in life's fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/but-by-fighting-the-difficulties-in-which-one-finds-oneself-an-inner/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [Ah! My dear friend painting is to us what the music of Berlioz and Wagner was before us - a consolatory art for sore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/ah-my-dear-friend-painting-is-to-us-what-the-music-of-berlioz-and/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [Painting demands an intelligent model.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/painting-demands-an-intelligent-model/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [That this awareness of my own fallibility will prevent me from making many mistakes doesn't alter the fact that I'm bound to make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/that-this-awareness-of-my-own-fallibility-will-prevent-me-from-making/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [What is drawing? It is working oneself through an invisible iron wall that seems to stand between what one feels and what one can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/what-is-drawing-it-is-working-oneself-through-an-invisible-iron-wall/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [You will say that everyone has seen landscapes and figures from childhood on. The question is: Has everybody also been reflexive as a child?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/you-will-say-that-everyone-has-seen-landscapes-and-figures-from/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) [Explore all 508 Vincent Van Gogh quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) ## 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 > [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": "I consciously choose the dog's path through life. 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