--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Art is long, life is short." description: "\"“Art is long, life is short.”\" — Whoopi Goldberg" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61e/whoopi-goldberg-3323_art_art-is-long-life-is-short-1064047_1064047.jpg" --- # Art is long, life is short. ![“Art is long, life is short.” quote by Whoopi Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61e/whoopi-goldberg-3323_art_art-is-long-life-is-short-1064047_1064047.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61e/whoopi-goldberg-3323_art_art-is-long-life-is-short-1064047_1064047.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61e/whoopi-goldberg-3323_art_art-is-long-life-is-short-1064047_1064047.jpg) > ““Art is long, life is short.”” [Whoopi Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whoopi-goldberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art endures beyond a human lifespan, while life is fleeting **In simple terms:** Art lasts longer than life Key Takeaway Create lasting work despite short life Themes art legacy mortality Mood inspired thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - museum curation - personal projects - education - public monuments Key Concepts timelessness creative expression human condition Practical Applications - Art may be forgotten without preservation efforts Questions to Reflect On - What legacy do you want to leave? - How can art outlive its creator? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-long-355810/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life is short](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is-short/) [Life Short](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-short/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-life/) [Short](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short/) ## Related quotes > [“Art is long and life is short.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/art-is-long-and-life-is-short/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) > [Art is long and life is short, and success is very far off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/art-is-long-and-life-is-short-and-success-is-very-far-off/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [The art is long, life is short](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hippocrates/the-art-is-long-life-is-short/) [Hippocrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hippocrates/) > [The bottom line for me is that life is short and art is long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/the-bottom-line-for-me-is-that-life-is-short-and-art-is-long/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [Art is too long, and life is too short,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/art-is-too-long-and-life-is-too-short/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) > [“Art is long, life is short. Unless your funding is f%$ked, in which case all our days are numbered.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whoopi-goldberg/art-is-long-life-is-short-unless-your-funding-is-f-ked-in-which-case/) [Whoopi Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whoopi-goldberg/) > [Life is short and the art long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hippocrates/life-is-short-and-the-art-long/) [Hippocrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hippocrates/) > [God help us -- for art is long, and life so short.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/god-help-us-for-art-is-long-and-life-so-short/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [“Art is long and life is brief and mortality looms.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/art-is-long-and-life-is-brief-and-mortality-looms/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Life is short, but its ills make it seem long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/publilius-syrus/life-is-short-but-its-ills-make-it-seem-long/) [Publilius Syrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/publilius-syrus/) > [My life is short. I can't listen to banality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-naipaul/my-life-is-short-i-can-t-listen-to-banality/) [V. S. Naipaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-naipaul/) > [“Life is short. Be sure to make your mark.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-r-johannes/life-is-short-be-sure-to-make-your-mark/) [S.R. Johannes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-r-johannes/) > [“Life is short, but wide.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-wells/life-is-short-but-wide/) [Rebecca Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-wells/) > [“because life is short and it's better when you speak your heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mimi-strong/because-life-is-short-and-it-s-better-when-you-speak-your-heart/) [Mimi Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mimi-strong/) > [Life is short, so go for things you enjoy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darcey-bussell/life-is-short-so-go-for-things-you-enjoy/) [Darcey Bussell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darcey-bussell/) ## More by Whoopi Goldberg > [My family is Jewish, Buddhist, Baptist and Catholic. I don't believe in man-made religions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whoopi-goldberg/my-family-is-jewish-buddhist-baptist-and-catholic-i-don-t-believe-in/) [Whoopi Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whoopi-goldberg/) > [“Remember what the fashion big mouths were saying about Jessica Simpson? Looking at her magazine pictures, sucking their teeth, going, "Oh, look at her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whoopi-goldberg/remember-what-the-fashion-big-mouths-were-saying-about-jessica/) [Whoopi Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whoopi-goldberg/) > [ \[The original Sister Act\] is running all over the world now, on-stage as a musical. It lives! ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whoopi-goldberg/the-original-sister-act-is-running-all-over-the-world-now-on-stage-as/) [Whoopi Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whoopi-goldberg/) > [I want Carl Sagan to explain the sky to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whoopi-goldberg/i-want-carl-sagan-to-explain-the-sky-to-me/) [Whoopi Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whoopi-goldberg/) > [I dig being a mother...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whoopi-goldberg/i-dig-being-a-mother/) [Whoopi Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whoopi-goldberg/) > [What we're doing is not just about becoming a model. It's bigger than that. It's shining a spotlight on folks who know who they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whoopi-goldberg/what-we-re-doing-is-not-just-about-becoming-a-model-it-s-bigger-than/) [Whoopi Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whoopi-goldberg/) > [I'm a big old egotistical baby and that's okay. I can accept it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whoopi-goldberg/i-m-a-big-old-egotistical-baby-and-that-s-okay-i-can-accept-it/) [Whoopi Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whoopi-goldberg/) > [For some reason, all artists have self-esteem issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whoopi-goldberg/for-some-reason-all-artists-have-self-esteem-issues/) [Whoopi Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whoopi-goldberg/) > [I fear waking up one morning and finding out my life was all for nothing. We're here for a reason. I believe a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whoopi-goldberg/i-fear-waking-up-one-morning-and-finding-out-my-life-was-all-for/) [Whoopi Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whoopi-goldberg/) > [ \[On her monologue as the thief 'Fontaine':\] People always got things. People always want things. So I provide a service. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whoopi-goldberg/on-her-monologue-as-the-thief-fontaine-people-always-got-things/) [Whoopi Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whoopi-goldberg/) > [“People have the power we give them. Words have the power we give them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whoopi-goldberg/people-have-the-power-we-give-them-words-have-the-power-we-give-them/) [Whoopi Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whoopi-goldberg/) > [I don't have pet peeves like some people. I have whole kennels of irritation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whoopi-goldberg/i-don-t-have-pet-peeves-like-some-people-i-have-whole-kennels-of/) [Whoopi Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whoopi-goldberg/) > [If You don't like Gay Marriage, Don't Marry a Gay Person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whoopi-goldberg/if-you-don-t-like-gay-marriage-don-t-marry-a-gay-person/) [Whoopi Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whoopi-goldberg/) > [Now, I've always known that there were bullies in the world. We've seen a lot of it in politics lately as well as in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whoopi-goldberg/now-i-ve-always-known-that-there-were-bullies-in-the-world-we-ve-seen/) [Whoopi Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whoopi-goldberg/) > [You don't want to think something might be racist, but it might be, because your gut is telling you it is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whoopi-goldberg/you-don-t-want-to-think-something-might-be-racist-but-it-might-be/) [Whoopi Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whoopi-goldberg/) [Explore all 133 Whoopi Goldberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whoopi-goldberg/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "“Art is long, life is short.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Whoopi Goldberg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whoopi-goldberg/art-is-long-life-is-short/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whoopi-goldberg/art-is-long-life-is-short/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61e/whoopi-goldberg-3323_art_art-is-long-life-is-short-1064047_1064047.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61e/whoopi-goldberg-3323_art_art-is-long-life-is-short-1064047_1064047.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61e/whoopi-goldberg-3323_art_art-is-long-life-is-short-1064047_1064047.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Art is long, life is short.” — Whoopi Goldberg", "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": "Whoopi Goldberg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whoopi-goldberg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Art is long, life is short.”", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whoopi-goldberg/art-is-long-life-is-short/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whoopi-goldberg/art-is-long-life-is-short/#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 } } ] } ```