--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I turned my thoughts to a still more…" description: "\"I turned my thoughts to a still more novel mode... to compose pictures on canvas similar to representations on the stage... my picture is my stage, and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/william-hogarth-42014_canvas_i-turned-my-thoughts-to-a-still-more-nov_1374739.jpg" --- # I turned my thoughts to a still more novel mode... to… ![“I turned my thoughts to a still more novel mode... to compose pictures on canvas similar to representations on the stage... my picture is my stage, and men and women my players exhibited in a 'dumb' show.” quote by William Hogarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/william-hogarth-42014_canvas_i-turned-my-thoughts-to-a-still-more-nov_1374739.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/william-hogarth-42014_canvas_i-turned-my-thoughts-to-a-still-more-nov_1374739.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/william-hogarth-42014_canvas_i-turned-my-thoughts-to-a-still-more-nov_1374739.jpg) > “I turned my thoughts to a still more novel mode... to compose pictures on canvas similar to representations on the stage... my picture is my stage, and men and women my players exhibited in a 'dumb' show.” [William Hogarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hogarth/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He likens his creative process to theater, viewing his canvas as a stage where people act in a silent performance. **In simple terms:** His art is a stage with silent actors. Key Takeaway See life as a performance. Themes art theatre creativity Mood contemplative introspective Type philosophical metaphorical When to use this quote - painting - stage design - performance art - personal expression Key Concepts visual metaphor self‑reflection Questions to Reflect On - How does viewing life as theater change behavior? - What does silence convey in art? A Different Perspective May overlook audience interpretation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Canvas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canvas/) [Dumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dumb/) [Exhibited Dumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exhibited-dumb-4744169/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men and women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-and-women/) [Methodology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/methodology/) [My thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-thoughts/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Novel Mode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel-mode-4744166/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Picture Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/picture-stage-4744167/) [Player](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/player/) [Representation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/representation/) [Representations Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/representations-stage-4744165/) [Show me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/show-me/) [Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shows/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) [Stage Picture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage-picture-4744168/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [A stage set should not make a pretty picture of its own. The empty stage should look formal and pleasing, but should seem to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-wilson-knight/a-stage-set-should-not-make-a-pretty-picture-of-its-own-the-empty/) [G. Wilson Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-wilson-knight/) > [There is no formula. There are only confirmations to formulas which one has already discovered oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-haas/there-is-no-formula-there-are-only-confirmations-to-formulas-which/) [Ernst Haas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-haas/) > [Who knows the minds of men and how they reason and what their methodology is? But I am not going to extrapolate from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-martin/who-knows-the-minds-of-men-and-how-they-reason-and-what-their/) [Walter Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-martin/) > [I'm only interested in working on records that legitimately reflect the band's own perception of their music and existence. If you commit yourselves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-albini/i-m-only-interested-in-working-on-records-that-legitimately-reflect/) [Steve Albini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-albini/) > [Because of my methodology and my sensibilities to write songs, I'm not very comfortable with the notion to rush in any creative endeavor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-crowell/because-of-my-methodology-and-my-sensibilities-to-write-songs-i-m-not/) [Rodney Crowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-crowell/) > [Skepticism is my nature, freethought is my methodology, agnosticism is my conclusion after 25 years of being in the ministry, and atheism is my opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-dewitt/skepticism-is-my-nature-freethought-is-my-methodology-agnosticism-is/) [Jerry DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-dewitt/) > [One might get the impression that I recommend a new methodology which replaces induction by counterinduction and uses a multiplicity of theories, metaphysical views,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/one-might-get-the-impression-that-i-recommend-a-new-methodology-which/) [Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/) > [There is no best way to make art, but there are a lot of better ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-darby-bannard/there-is-no-best-way-to-make-art-but-there-are-a-lot-of-better-ways/) [Walter Darby Bannard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-darby-bannard/) > [I think the greatest weakness in the church today is that almost no one believes that God invests His power in the Bible. Everyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-the-greatest-weakness-in-the-church-today-is-that-almost-no/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Yet the paradox is that scientific methodology is the product of human hands and thus cannot reach some permanent truth. We build scientific theories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/yet-the-paradox-is-that-scientific-methodology-is-the-product-of/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) > [First, we want to establish the idea that a computer language is not just a way of getting a computer to perform operations but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-abelson/first-we-want-to-establish-the-idea-that-a-computer-language-is-not/) [Hal Abelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-abelson/) > [Yoga is the methodology with which to unveil the miracle that exists right in front of our faces and inside ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-yee/yoga-is-the-methodology-with-which-to-unveil-the-miracle-that-exists/) [Rodney Yee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-yee/) > [Ben was more improvisational, and relied less on methodology, and basically is a guitarist who switched to bass, whereas Jeff has a more traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-cameron/ben-was-more-improvisational-and-relied-less-on-methodology-and/) [Matt Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-cameron/) > [Take your brush here and there like a bee in an alpine meadow. In other words, don't laboriously work on or try to finish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/take-your-brush-here-and-there-like-a-bee-in-an-alpine-meadow-in/) [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) > [Subjectivism is not an absolute principle; it is a necessary but not sufficient condition for sound methodology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-rothbard/subjectivism-is-not-an-absolute-principle-it-is-a-necessary-but-not/) [Murray Rothbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-rothbard/) ## More by William Hogarth > [I have generally found that persons who had studied painting least were the best judges of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hogarth/i-have-generally-found-that-persons-who-had-studied-painting-least/) [William Hogarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hogarth/) > [I think it is owing to the good sense of the English that they have not painted better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hogarth/i-think-it-is-owing-to-the-good-sense-of-the-english-that-they-have/) [William Hogarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hogarth/) > [Straight lines vary only in length, and therefore are least ornamental.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hogarth/straight-lines-vary-only-in-length-and-therefore-are-least-ornamental/) [William Hogarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hogarth/) > [ I had rather, if cruelty has been prevented by the four prints \[The Four Stages of Cruelty\], be maker of them than of the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hogarth/i-had-rather-if-cruelty-has-been-prevented-by-the-four-prints-the/) [William Hogarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hogarth/) > [The serpentine line, or the line of grace, by its waving and winding at the same time different ways, leads the eye in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hogarth/the-serpentine-line-or-the-line-of-grace-by-its-waving-and-winding-at/) [William Hogarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hogarth/) > [All the world is competent to judge my pictures except those who are of my profession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hogarth/all-the-world-is-competent-to-judge-my-pictures-except-those-who-are/) [William Hogarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hogarth/) > [Simplicity, without variety, is wholly insipid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hogarth/simplicity-without-variety-is-wholly-insipid/) [William Hogarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hogarth/) > [I know no such thing as genius, — genius is nothing but labor and diligence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hogarth/i-know-no-such-thing-as-genius-genius-is-nothing-but-labor-and/) [William Hogarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hogarth/) > [Time is not a great artist but weakens all he touches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hogarth/time-is-not-a-great-artist-but-weakens-all-he-touches/) [William Hogarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hogarth/) [Explore all 10 William Hogarth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hogarth/) ## More Canvas quotes > [The bigger the canvas, the better I do. I'm not so good at understated, kitchen-sink kinds of parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/the-bigger-the-canvas-the-better-i-do-i-m-not-so-good-at-understated/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [A painter should begin every canvas with a wash of black, because all things in nature are dark except where exposed by the light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/a-painter-should-begin-every-canvas-with-a-wash-of-black-because-all/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [You wind up creating from silence, like painting a picture on a blank canvas that could bring tears to somebody's eyes. As songwriters, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-atkins/you-wind-up-creating-from-silence-like-painting-a-picture-on-a-blank/) [Rodney Atkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-atkins/) > [What I did for my last act as a painter, if you call me a painter, was to photograph the weave of the canvas,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-denes/what-i-did-for-my-last-act-as-a-painter-if-you-call-me-a-painter-was/) [Agnes Denes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-denes/) > [TV has no choice, but to rely on character, and everybody knows that. I love working in it. It's such a big canvas where,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-liman/tv-has-no-choice-but-to-rely-on-character-and-everybody-knows-that-i/) [Doug Liman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-liman/) > [The white T-shirt is like a blank canvas - eternally versatile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-enninful/the-white-t-shirt-is-like-a-blank-canvas-eternally-versatile/) [Edward Enninful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-enninful/) > [Life is an empty canvas- We've to paint it every Moment of our life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-laren/life-is-an-empty-canvas-we-ve-to-paint-it-every-moment-of-our-life/) [elvis laren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-laren/) > [The future turns out to be something that you make instead of find. It isn't waiting for your arrival, either with an arrest warrant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-h-lapham/the-future-turns-out-to-be-something-that-you-make-instead-of-find-it/) [Lewis H. Lapham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-h-lapham/) > [Life's a canvas you're an artist, Paint a picture of a garden then go and marvel at the harvest you created from your conscious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-s-a-canvas-you-re-an-artist-paint-a-picture-of-a-garden-then-go/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Theres a blank canvas in front of you. You are the artist of your life, and you are free to paint any picture that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishu/theres-a-blank-canvas-in-front-of-you-you-are-the-artist-of-your-life/) [Nishu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishu/) > [My training was that you fill in the canvas where it needs colour and polishing. You start with the words on the first night…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-moody/my-training-was-that-you-fill-in-the-canvas-where-it-needs-colour-and/) [Ron Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-moody/) > [Great paintings have gradations, large and small... They serve to lift the subject off the two-dimensionality of the canvas. Gradations are an essential abstract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/great-paintings-have-gradations-large-and-small-they-serve-to-lift/) [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) > [The canvas upon which the artist paints is the spectator's mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/okakura-kakuzo/the-canvas-upon-which-the-artist-paints-is-the-spectator-s-mind/) [Okakura Kakuzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/okakura-kakuzo/) > [An empty canvas, apparently really empty, that says nothing and is without significance – almost dull, in fact – in reality, is crammed with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wassily-kandinsky/an-empty-canvas-apparently-really-empty-that-says-nothing-and-is/) [Wassily Kandinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wassily-kandinsky/) > [Man offers himself to God. He stands before Him like the canvas before the painter or the marble before the sculptor. At the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-carrel/man-offers-himself-to-god-he-stands-before-him-like-the-canvas-before/) [Alexis Carrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-carrel/) [Browse all 796 Canvas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canvas/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I turned my thoughts to a still more novel mode... to compose pictures on canvas similar to representations on the stage... my picture is my stage, and men and women my players exhibited in a 'dumb' show.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Hogarth" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hogarth/i-turned-my-thoughts-to-a-still-more-novel-mode-to-compose-pictures/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Canvas" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hogarth/i-turned-my-thoughts-to-a-still-more-novel-mode-to-compose-pictures/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/william-hogarth-42014_canvas_i-turned-my-thoughts-to-a-still-more-nov_1374739.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/william-hogarth-42014_canvas_i-turned-my-thoughts-to-a-still-more-nov_1374739.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/william-hogarth-42014_canvas_i-turned-my-thoughts-to-a-still-more-nov_1374739.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I turned my thoughts to a still more novel mode... to compose pictures on canvas similar to representations…” — William Hogarth", "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 Hogarth", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hogarth/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I turned my thoughts to a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hogarth/i-turned-my-thoughts-to-a-still-more-novel-mode-to-compose-pictures/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hogarth/i-turned-my-thoughts-to-a-still-more-novel-mode-to-compose-pictures/#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 } } ] } ```