--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You cannot paint the Mona Lisa by…" description: "\"You cannot paint the Mona Lisa by assigning one dab each to a thousand painters.\" — William F. Buckley, Jr" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e18/william-f-buckley-jr-3870_accomplish_you-cannot-paint-the-mona-lisa-by-assign_1305642.png" --- # You cannot paint the Mona Lisa by assigning one dab each… ![“You cannot paint the Mona Lisa by assigning one dab each to a thousand painters.” quote by William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e18/william-f-buckley-jr-3870_accomplish_you-cannot-paint-the-mona-lisa-by-assign_1305642.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e18/william-f-buckley-jr-3870_accomplish_you-cannot-paint-the-mona-lisa-by-assign_1305642.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e18/william-f-buckley-jr-3870_accomplish_you-cannot-paint-the-mona-lisa-by-assign_1305642.png) > “You cannot paint the Mona Lisa by assigning one dab each to a thousand painters.” [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Collaboration loses impact when too many contribute without coordination. **In simple terms:** Too many cooks spoil the work. Key Takeaway Coordinate contributions for quality. Themes collaboration quality coordination Mood cautious reflective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - project management - artistic commissions - software development - group writing Key Concepts team dynamics creative process Questions to Reflect On - How can you structure teamwork to preserve vision? - What limits should be set on contributor numbers? A Different Perspective Too many contributors can still cause conflict if not managed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Dabs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dabs/) [Painter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painter/) [Painters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painters/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) ## Related quotes > [I really believe that if you practice enough you could paint the 'Mona Lisa' with a two-inch brush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-ross/i-really-believe-that-if-you-practice-enough-you-could-paint-the-mona/) [Bob Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-ross/) > [Every work of art belongs to his time. I would not paint again the Mona Lisa in the third dimension.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/every-work-of-art-belongs-to-his-time-i-would-not-paint-again-the/) [Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/) > [A thousand painters can paint for a 1,000 years, but can't make a work of art as beautiful as you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-thousand-painters-can-paint-for-a-1-000-years-but-can-t-make-a-work/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A thousand painters ought to be killed yearly. Say what you like: I'm every inch a painter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/a-thousand-painters-ought-to-be-killed-yearly-say-what-you-like-i-m/) [Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) > [“If a thousand painters worked for a thousand years, they could not create a work of art as beautiful as you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-dermott/if-a-thousand-painters-worked-for-a-thousand-years-they-could-not/) [Shannon Dermott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-dermott/) > [The audience is astonishingly friendly and tolerant of even the slightest dab, but is limited in its willingness to look either deeply or at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-brandt/the-audience-is-astonishingly-friendly-and-tolerant-of-even-the/) [Rex Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-brandt/) > [Those dabs of paint and lines become art when form and flow are created out of lower-level perceptual elements. When they combine harmoniously they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-levitin/those-dabs-of-paint-and-lines-become-art-when-form-and-flow-are/) [Daniel Levitin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-levitin/) > [Nearly always when actors are approached by the beauticians, they try to avoid the dabs that the beauticians put on their faces. They dodge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/nearly-always-when-actors-are-approached-by-the-beauticians-they-try/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [Before AIM, Indians were dispirited, defeated, and culturally dissolving. People were ashamed to be Indian. You didn't see the young people wearing braids or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-means/before-aim-indians-were-dispirited-defeated-and-culturally-dissolving/) [Russell Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-means/) > [Bryl-cream, a little dab will do you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-buffett/bryl-cream-a-little-dab-will-do-you/) [Jimmy Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-buffett/) > [ I carry McCormick’s Pure Vanilla \[in my purse\]—the baking kind—and dab it on my neck… Men are attracted to the scent! One time, I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-love-hewitt/i-carry-mccormick-s-pure-vanilla-in-my-purse-the-baking-kind-and-dab/) [Jennifer Love Hewitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-love-hewitt/) > [Almost anything is edible with a dab of French mustard on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-slater/almost-anything-is-edible-with-a-dab-of-french-mustard-on-it/) [Nigel Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-slater/) > [It had that comfortably sprung, lived-in look that library books with a lively circulation always get; bent page corners, a dab of mustard on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/it-had-that-comfortably-sprung-lived-in-look-that-library-books-with/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [When we're home sometimes, she'll put on mascara. And sometimes I'll let her wear something out to dinner - but just a little dab.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwyneth-paltrow/when-we-re-home-sometimes-she-ll-put-on-mascara-and-sometimes-i-ll/) [Gwyneth Paltrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwyneth-paltrow/) > [TV by and large has become a dime-store business so far as creativity and talent are concerned. The half-hour and sixty-minute series rattle off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hedda-hopper/tv-by-and-large-has-become-a-dime-store-business-so-far-as-creativity/) [Hedda Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hedda-hopper/) ## More by William F. Buckley, Jr > [Louis Kelso of San Francisco, a lawyer-economist, has for years felt that he has a radical answer to the problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/louis-kelso-of-san-francisco-a-lawyer-economist-has-for-years-felt/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) > [As a businessman, Frank Lorenzo gives capitalism a bad name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/as-a-businessman-frank-lorenzo-gives-capitalism-a-bad-name/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) > [The Beatles are not merely awful. I would consider it sacrilegious to say anything less than that they are godawful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/the-beatles-are-not-merely-awful-i-would-consider-it-sacrilegious-to/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) > [What yells out at the US public . . . is the incandescent hypocrisy of so many people who, in the name of free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/what-yells-out-at-the-us-public-is-the-incandescent-hypocrisy-of-so/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) > [Those who suffer from the abuse of drugs have themselves to blame for it. This does not mean that society is absolved from active…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/those-who-suffer-from-the-abuse-of-drugs-have-themselves-to-blame-for/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) > [Industry is the enemy of melancholy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/industry-is-the-enemy-of-melancholy/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) > [The best defense against usurpatory government is an assertive citizenry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/the-best-defense-against-usurpatory-government-is-an-assertive/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) > [Knee-jerk liberals and all the certified saints of sanctified humanism are quick to condemn this great and much-maligned Transylvanian statesman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/knee-jerk-liberals-and-all-the-certified-saints-of-sanctified/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) > [We love your adherence to democratic principles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/we-love-your-adherence-to-democratic-principles/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) > [Only government can cause inflation, preserve monopoly, and punish enterprise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/only-government-can-cause-inflation-preserve-monopoly-and-punish/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) > [The principal sponsors of the terrorists are not religious fanatics. "Palestine's Yasser Arafat, Iraq's Saddam Hussein, and Syria's Assad family have made themselves the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/the-principal-sponsors-of-the-terrorists-are-not-religious-fanatics/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) > [Marijuana is not much more difficult to obtain than beer. The reason for this is that a liquor store selling beer to a minor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/marijuana-is-not-much-more-difficult-to-obtain-than-beer-the-reason/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) > [Not everything that is legal is reputable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/not-everything-that-is-legal-is-reputable/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) > [One can't doubt that the American objective in Iraq has failed - different plans have to be made. And the kernel here is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/one-can-t-doubt-that-the-american-objective-in-iraq-has-failed/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) > [If you had a European prime minister who experienced what we've experienced it would be expected that he would retire or resign,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/if-you-had-a-european-prime-minister-who-experienced-what-we-ve/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) [Explore all 120 William F. Buckley, Jr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) ## More Accomplish quotes > [Learn to see the big picture. Often times we get tunnel vision and lose sight of the big picture and what we're really trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cheeke/learn-to-see-the-big-picture-often-times-we-get-tunnel-vision-and/) [Robert Cheeke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cheeke/) > [You know, by the time you reach my age, you've made plenty of mistakes if you've lived your life properly. So you learn. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/you-know-by-the-time-you-reach-my-age-you-ve-made-plenty-of-mistakes/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [I work every day. Sometimes I don't accomplish anything every day, but if I don't work every day, I get depressed and get afraid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-work-every-day-sometimes-i-don-t-accomplish-anything-every-day-but/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [God has given believers the responsibility of spreading the Gospel to all the world, and we need to use all at our disposal to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-epp/god-has-given-believers-the-responsibility-of-spreading-the-gospel-to/) [Theodore Epp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-epp/) > [ \[The Community's\] crosses and trials give me confidence. But I derive my hope above all, and most especially, from our utter incapacity, for it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-guerin/the-community-s-crosses-and-trials-give-me-confidence-but-i-derive-my/) [Theodore Guerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-guerin/) > [There's things that you want to accomplish, but to do that you have to work. That's the name of the game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-schwarber/there-s-things-that-you-want-to-accomplish-but-to-do-that-you-have-to/) [Kyle Schwarber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-schwarber/) > [To accomplish much you must first lose everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/che-guevara/to-accomplish-much-you-must-first-lose-everything/) [Che Guevara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/che-guevara/) > [We have to think about the future and what it is we want to accomplish from this party.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-bernice-johnson/we-have-to-think-about-the-future-and-what-it-is-we-want-to/) [Eddie Bernice Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-bernice-johnson/) > [Everything that I have ever hoped to accomplish, she has done and done better than anyone I have ever seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-hathaway/everything-that-i-have-ever-hoped-to-accomplish-she-has-done-and-done/) [Anne Hathaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-hathaway/) > [There's a lot that I want to accomplish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/there-s-a-lot-that-i-want-to-accomplish/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [For what we want to accomplish in the future, we have to be able to view everything from the eyes of the customer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-katz/for-what-we-want-to-accomplish-in-the-future-we-have-to-be-able-to/) [Karen Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-katz/) > [And for me the only way to live life is to grab the bull by the horns and call up recording studios and set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-frusciante/and-for-me-the-only-way-to-live-life-is-to-grab-the-bull-by-the-horns/) [John Frusciante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-frusciante/) > [A great tennis career is something that a 15-year-old normally doesn't have. I hope my example helps other teens believe they can accomplish things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/a-great-tennis-career-is-something-that-a-15-year-old-normally-doesn/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) > [Somebody once told me that if you laugh at a George Bush joke, or you send an email cartoon to your friends that makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ramis/somebody-once-told-me-that-if-you-laugh-at-a-george-bush-joke-or-you/) [Harold Ramis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ramis/) > [One should not withdraw from individuals and commit to the community what they can accomplish by their own enterprise and industry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-pius-xi/one-should-not-withdraw-from-individuals-and-commit-to-the-community/) [Pope Pius XI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-pius-xi/) Browse all 2,426 Accomplish quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You cannot paint the Mona Lisa by assigning one dab each to a thousand painters.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William F. 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