---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Well, I dare not allow myself any…"
description: "\"Well, I dare not allow myself any illusions, and I am afraid it may never happen that Father and Mother will really appreciate my art. It is not their ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb8/vincent-van-gogh-486_able_well-i-dare-not-allow-myself-any-illusio_240048.jpg"
---

#  Well, I dare not allow myself any illusions, and I am…

![“Well, I dare not allow myself any illusions, and I am afraid it may never happen that Father and Mother will really appreciate my art. It is not their fault; we do not see the same things with the same eyes, or have the same thoughts raised in us by them. They will never be able to understand what…” quote by Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb8/vincent-van-gogh-486_able_well-i-dare-not-allow-myself-any-illusio_240048.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb8/vincent-van-gogh-486_able_well-i-dare-not-allow-myself-any-illusio_240048.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb8/vincent-van-gogh-486_able_well-i-dare-not-allow-myself-any-illusio_240048.jpg)

> “Well, I dare not allow myself any illusions, and I am afraid it may never happen that Father and Mother will really appreciate my art. It is not their fault; we do not see the same things with the same eyes, or have the same thoughts raised in us by them. They will never be able to understand what painting is.”

[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.

The artist feels misunderstood by family, fearing they cannot grasp his artistic vision due to differing perspectives.

**In simple terms:** Family may not understand an artist’s work.

Key Takeaway

Accept that not everyone will share your vision.

Themes

misunderstanding art family

Mood

lonely reflective

Type

personal philosophical

When to use this quote

- seeking validation
- explaining art
- building confidence
- finding supportive community

Key Concepts

subjectivity perception communication

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you communicate your vision without expecting full agreement?
- What other sources of validation can you cultivate?

A Different Perspective

Even if loved ones cannot understand, the artist can still find meaning and purpose.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Father And Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father-and-mother/) [Illusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusion/) [Illusions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusions/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/)

## Related quotes

> [“People who don’t appreciate art aren’t living a full life. Art, whether it’s music, paint, words, whatever the medium, busts veins of color that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fisher-amelie/people-who-don-t-appreciate-art-aren-t-living-a-full-life-art-whether/)

[Fisher Amelie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fisher-amelie/)

> [ “\[...\] For the first time ever, images of art have become ephemeral, ubiquitous, insubstantial, available, valueless, free. They surround us in the same way… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/for-the-first-time-ever-images-of-art-have-become-ephemeral/)

[John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/)

> [What if at school you had to take an 'art class' in which you were only taught how to paint a fence? What if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-frenkel/what-if-at-school-you-had-to-take-an-art-class-in-which-you-were-only/)

[Edward Frenkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-frenkel/)

> [We cannot appreciate the art of any age without first acquiring an equivalent of the experience it depicts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/we-cannot-appreciate-the-art-of-any-age-without-first-acquiring-an/)

[Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/)

> [To appreciate art you’ve got to work at it a bit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-perry/to-appreciate-art-you-ve-got-to-work-at-it-a-bit/)

[Grayson Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-perry/)

> [I have the opportunity to learn about the fashion world, and I appreciate it as an art form... But I never want it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupita-nyong-o/i-have-the-opportunity-to-learn-about-the-fashion-world-and-i/)

[Lupita Nyong'o](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupita-nyong-o/)

> [Art is consumed in so many different ways. You could say people don't stop to appreciate art. On the other hand, people can consume…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-sollee/art-is-consumed-in-so-many-different-ways-you-could-say-people-don-t-2/)

[Ben Sollee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-sollee/)

> [In my teens I fancied myself an artist; I hung out with the eccentric art teacher at my high school, painted still lifes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/in-my-teens-i-fancied-myself-an-artist-i-hung-out-with-the-eccentric/)

[Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/)

> [Once you appreciate an art form, you're open to everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-daddy-kane/once-you-appreciate-an-art-form-you-re-open-to-everything/)

[Big Daddy Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-daddy-kane/)

> [“Appreciate the art of thoughtful disagreement.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/appreciate-the-art-of-thoughtful-disagreement/)

[Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/)

> [In my eyes, either you appreciate art or you don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shobana/in-my-eyes-either-you-appreciate-art-or-you-don-t/)

[Shobana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shobana/)

> [If I feel the labor and the gruesome process, that helps me appreciate the art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-renck/if-i-feel-the-labor-and-the-gruesome-process-that-helps-me-appreciate/)

[Johan Renck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-renck/)

> [I can consider not only great art, but the context in which that art has been created. I can consider the people who paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/i-can-consider-not-only-great-art-but-the-context-in-which-that-art/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [Art is consumed in so many different ways. You could say people don't stop to appreciate art. On the other hand, people can consume…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-sollee/art-is-consumed-in-so-many-different-ways-you-could-say-people-don-t/)

[Ben Sollee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-sollee/)

> [While the godly father and mother spews poison, the baby crying for help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/while-the-godly-father-and-mother-spews-poison-the-baby-crying-for/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## 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 Able quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/)

[Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/)

> [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/)

[Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/)

> [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/)

[Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/)

> [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/)

[Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/)

> [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/)

Greg Perry

> [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/)

[Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/)

> [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/)

[Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/)

> [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/)

[Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/)

> [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/)

[Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/)

> [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/)

[Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/)

Browse all 17,257 Able quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Well, I dare not allow myself any illusions, and I am afraid it may never happen that Father and Mother will really appreciate my art. It is not their fault; we do not see the same things with the same eyes, or have the same thoughts raised in us by them. They will never be able to understand what painting is.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Vincent Van Gogh"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/well-i-dare-not-allow-myself-any-illusions-and-i-am-afraid-it-may/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Able"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/well-i-dare-not-allow-myself-any-illusions-and-i-am-afraid-it-may/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb8/vincent-van-gogh-486_able_well-i-dare-not-allow-myself-any-illusio_240048.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb8/vincent-van-gogh-486_able_well-i-dare-not-allow-myself-any-illusio_240048.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb8/vincent-van-gogh-486_able_well-i-dare-not-allow-myself-any-illusio_240048.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Well, I dare not allow myself any illusions, and I am afraid it may never happen that Father and Mother will…” — Vincent Van Gogh",
                "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": "Vincent Van Gogh",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Well, I dare not allow myself...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/well-i-dare-not-allow-myself-any-illusions-and-i-am-afraid-it-may/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/well-i-dare-not-allow-myself-any-illusions-and-i-am-afraid-it-may/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
