---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A picture is what it is and I've never…"
description: "\"A picture is what it is and I've never noticed that it helps to talk about them, or answer specific questions about them, much less volunteer informati..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a4/william-eggleston-12373_answers_a-picture-is-what-it-is-and-i-ve-never-n_2860115.jpg"
---

#  A picture is what it is and I've never noticed that it…

![“A picture is what it is and I've never noticed that it helps to talk about them, or answer specific questions about them, much less volunteer information in words. It wouldn't make any sense to explain them. Kind of diminishes them. People always want to know when something was taken, where it was…” quote by William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a4/william-eggleston-12373_answers_a-picture-is-what-it-is-and-i-ve-never-n_2860115.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a4/william-eggleston-12373_answers_a-picture-is-what-it-is-and-i-ve-never-n_2860115.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a4/william-eggleston-12373_answers_a-picture-is-what-it-is-and-i-ve-never-n_2860115.jpg)

> “A picture is what it is and I've never noticed that it helps to talk about them, or answer specific questions about them, much less volunteer information in words. It wouldn't make any sense to explain them. Kind of diminishes them. People always want to know when something was taken, where it was taken, and, God knows, why it was taken. It gets really ridiculous. I mean, they're right there, whatever they are.”

[William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/)

## About This Quote

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

Images speak for themselves; over‑explaining diminishes their impact.

**In simple terms:** Over‑explaining ruins images.

Key Takeaway

Let photos stand on their own.

Themes

visual art interpretation silence

Mood

contemplative artistic

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- gallery displays
- educational settings
- social media

Key Concepts

aesthetics communication

Questions to Reflect On

- When is explanation helpful?
- How much detail preserves mystery?

A Different Perspective

Context can aid understanding; balance is key.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Answer Specific](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answer-specific-3854583/) [Answers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answers/) [Diminish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diminish/) [Get real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get-real/) [God knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-knows/) [Helping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping/) [Information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-want/) [Photographer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photographer/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Picture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/picture/) [Questions Volunteer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/questions-volunteer-3034144/) [Ridiculous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ridiculous/) [Taken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taken/) [Volunteer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/volunteer/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Want Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-know/)

## Related quotes

> [“The first law of Bureaucracy is, show no curiosity outside your cubicle. It’s like the first rule of every army that’s ever bashed a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/the-first-law-of-bureaucracy-is-show-no-curiosity-outside-your/)

[Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/)

> [I wish people wouldn't just see me as the Asian girl who beats everyone up, or the Asian girl with no emotion. People see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-liu/i-wish-people-wouldn-t-just-see-me-as-the-asian-girl-who-beats/)

[Lucy Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-liu/)

> [I do enjoy a beer. And a shot of vodka with some apple juice is what loosens me up before I go onstage, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ladyhawke/i-do-enjoy-a-beer-and-a-shot-of-vodka-with-some-apple-juice-is-what/)

[Ladyhawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ladyhawke/)

> [Trust me, sunscreen is so, so, so important and so I always wear sunscreen, but I still get really tan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lea-michele/trust-me-sunscreen-is-so-so-so-important-and-so-i-always-wear/)

[Lea Michele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lea-michele/)

> [When I hear music which is really exciting, I get really excited, and when I hear music which is really boring, I get really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-raphael/when-i-hear-music-which-is-really-exciting-i-get-really-excited-and/)

[Gordon Raphael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-raphael/)

> [It is very rewarding when you see your employees happy and excited about the success of the company. When you introduce something new, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anousheh-ansari/it-is-very-rewarding-when-you-see-your-employees-happy-and-excited/)

[Anousheh Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anousheh-ansari/)

> [Get really rich and then help the people who didn't have the opportunity you did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-harv-eker/get-really-rich-and-then-help-the-people-who-didn-t-have-the/)

[T. Harv Eker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-harv-eker/)

> [All I wanted to do was put together one of the best home maths systems in the world, and that's what we've done. I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-vorderman/all-i-wanted-to-do-was-put-together-one-of-the-best-home-maths/)

[Carol Vorderman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-vorderman/)

> [It's funny, I get really nervous when I audition for voiceovers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-benz/it-s-funny-i-get-really-nervous-when-i-audition-for-voiceovers/)

[Julie Benz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-benz/)

> [When you get real old, honey, you realize there are certain things that just don't matter anymore. You lay it all on the table.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-louise-delany/when-you-get-real-old-honey-you-realize-there-are-certain-things-that/)

[Sarah Louise Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-louise-delany/)

> [If it suddenly became impossible for us to cover up all the junk we normally hide from the rest of humanity, I have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/if-it-suddenly-became-impossible-for-us-to-cover-up-all-the-junk-we/)

[Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/)

> [It's hard to go out and practice every single day, and you get really tired. But you have to believe in yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-sanders/it-s-hard-to-go-out-and-practice-every-single-day-and-you-get-really/)

[Summer Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-sanders/)

> [I get really nervous if pigeons are flying around before shows. I can't stand them after one once flew in through my bathroom window…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-horan/i-get-really-nervous-if-pigeons-are-flying-around-before-shows-i-can/)

[Niall Horan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-horan/)

> [Women are sort of like motorcycle gangs with me. They get really shy and polite. I don't know why.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/women-are-sort-of-like-motorcycle-gangs-with-me-they-get-really-shy/)

[Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/)

> [Most startups are not just built for the person who is using them. When you do that, every now and then you get really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmett-shear/most-startups-are-not-just-built-for-the-person-who-is-using-them/)

[Emmett Shear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmett-shear/)

## More by William Eggleston

> [I like to think that my works flow like music. That may be one reason I work in large groups versus one picture of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/i-like-to-think-that-my-works-flow-like-music-that-may-be-one-reason/)

[William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/)

> [I don't look at other photographs much at all. I don't know why. I study my own a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/i-don-t-look-at-other-photographs-much-at-all-i-don-t-know-why-i/)

[William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/)

> [I had the attitude that I would work with this present-day material and do the best I could to describe it with photography, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/i-had-the-attitude-that-i-would-work-with-this-present-day-material/)

[William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/)

> [Generally, that's what happens-a fundamental rotting of the idea. They woke up with the wrong idea. It's just like music: If you don't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/generally-that-s-what-happens-a-fundamental-rotting-of-the-idea-they/)

[William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/)

> [I knew it was happening, but I never paid much attention to it . . . just to the passage of time. Something new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/i-knew-it-was-happening-but-i-never-paid-much-attention-to-it-just-to/)

[William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/)

> [You become technically proficient whether you want to or not, the more you take pictures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/you-become-technically-proficient-whether-you-want-to-or-not-the-more/)

[William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/)

> [Unfortunately they're practically all dead. And many were my closest associates: friends, co-directors, whatever you want to say - my partners in crime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/unfortunately-they-re-practically-all-dead-and-many-were-my-closest/)

[William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/)

> [I had this notion of what I called a democratic way of looking around, that nothing was more or less important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/i-had-this-notion-of-what-i-called-a-democratic-way-of-looking-around/)

[William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/)

> [I met and became close with John Szarkowski of the Museum of Modern Art. He was incredibly supportive about me working in color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/i-met-and-became-close-with-john-szarkowski-of-the-museum-of-modern/)

[William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/)

> [The immediate reviews were very hostile, but they didn't bother me-I had the attitude that I was right. The poor guys who were critics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/the-immediate-reviews-were-very-hostile-but-they-didn-t-bother-me-i/)

[William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/)

> [Only the few times I've been to so-called treatment centers, which were a complete waste of money and useless. I didn't know what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/only-the-few-times-i-ve-been-to-so-called-treatment-centers-which/)

[William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/)

> [I quite frequently don't look through the camera, which is very close to being blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/i-quite-frequently-don-t-look-through-the-camera-which-is-very-close/)

[William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/)

> [A lot of my friends were mostly working in black-and-white-people like Lee Friedlander, Diane Arbus, Garry Winogrand, and others. We would exchange prints with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/a-lot-of-my-friends-were-mostly-working-in-black-and-white-people/)

[William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/)

> [Everything must work in concert. Composition is important, but so are many other things, from content to the way colours work with or against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/everything-must-work-in-concert-composition-is-important-but-so-are/)

[William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/)

> [My friend who I went to boarding school with was interested in photography. He insisted that I buy a camera and marched me downtown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/my-friend-who-i-went-to-boarding-school-with-was-interested-in/)

[William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/)

[Explore all 55 William Eggleston quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/)

## More Answers quotes

> [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/)

[Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/)

> [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/)

[Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/)

> [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/)

[John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/)

> [“As long as you keep searching,the answers will come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kynock/as-long-as-you-keep-searching-the-answers-will-come/)

[Mitch Kynock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kynock/)

> [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/)

[Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/)

> [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/)

[Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/)

> [A religious person answers to God, not to the elected or non-elected official.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/a-religious-person-answers-to-god-not-to-the-elected-or-non-elected/)

[Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/)

> [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/)

[Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/)

> [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. The lyrics are the answer to all your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-asking-a-girl-how-she-feels-try-looking-through-her/)

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

> [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/)

[Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/)

> [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/)

[Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/)

> [Enjoying life isn't about finding the answers, but living the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-margolis/enjoying-life-isn-t-about-finding-the-answers-but-living-the-questions/)

[Sue Margolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-margolis/)

[Browse all 7,843 Answers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answers/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "A picture is what it is and I've never noticed that it helps to talk about them, or answer specific questions about them, much less volunteer information in words. It wouldn't make any sense to explain them. Kind of diminishes them. People always want to know when something was taken, where it was taken, and, God knows, why it was taken. It gets really ridiculous. I mean, they're right there, whatever they are.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Eggleston"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/a-picture-is-what-it-is-and-i-ve-never-noticed-that-it-helps-to-talk/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Answers"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/a-picture-is-what-it-is-and-i-ve-never-noticed-that-it-helps-to-talk/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a4/william-eggleston-12373_answers_a-picture-is-what-it-is-and-i-ve-never-n_2860115.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a4/william-eggleston-12373_answers_a-picture-is-what-it-is-and-i-ve-never-n_2860115.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a4/william-eggleston-12373_answers_a-picture-is-what-it-is-and-i-ve-never-n_2860115.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A picture is what it is and I've never noticed that it helps to talk about them, or answer specific…” — William Eggleston",
                "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": "William Eggleston",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "A picture is what it is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/a-picture-is-what-it-is-and-i-ve-never-noticed-that-it-helps-to-talk/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/a-picture-is-what-it-is-and-i-ve-never-noticed-that-it-helps-to-talk/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
