---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: With just one polka dot, nothing can be…"
description: "\"With just one polka dot, nothing can be achieved. In the universe, there is the sun, the moon, the earth, and hundreds of millions of stars. All of us ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e7/yayoi-kusama-10408_art_with-just-one-polka-dot-nothing-can-be-a_1058264.jpg"
---

#  With just one polka dot, nothing can be achieved. In the…

![“With just one polka dot, nothing can be achieved. In the universe, there is the sun, the moon, the earth, and hundreds of millions of stars. All of us live in the unfathomable mystery and infinitude of the universe. Pursuing 'philosophy of the universe' through art under such circumstances has led…” quote by Yayoi Kusama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e7/yayoi-kusama-10408_art_with-just-one-polka-dot-nothing-can-be-a_1058264.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e7/yayoi-kusama-10408_art_with-just-one-polka-dot-nothing-can-be-a_1058264.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e7/yayoi-kusama-10408_art_with-just-one-polka-dot-nothing-can-be-a_1058264.jpg)

> “With just one polka dot, nothing can be achieved. In the universe, there is the sun, the moon, the earth, and hundreds of millions of stars. All of us live in the unfathomable mystery and infinitude of the universe. Pursuing 'philosophy of the universe' through art under such circumstances has led me to what I call 'stereotypical repetition.'”

[Yayoi Kusama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yayoi-kusama/)

## About This Quote

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

A single element feels insignificant against the vast universe, prompting repetitive artistic exploration.

**In simple terms:** One dot seems tiny in the cosmos.

Key Takeaway

Embrace repetition to grapple with enormity.

Themes

art philosophy cosmos

Mood

contemplative enigmatic

Type

artistic philosophical

When to use this quote

- exhibition design
- public installations
- educational lectures
- meditative practice

Key Concepts

existentialism repetition scale

Questions to Reflect On

- How does repetition convey meaning?
- What does the cosmos inspire in you?

A Different Perspective

Repetition can become monotonous.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Astronomy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomy/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon/) [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars/) [Sun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sun/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/)

## Related quotes

> [Polka dots are fabulous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yayoi-kusama/polka-dots-are-fabulous/)

[Yayoi Kusama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yayoi-kusama/)

> [Polka dots can't stay alone. When we obliterate nature and our bodies with polka dots we become part of the unity of our environments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yayoi-kusama/polka-dots-can-t-stay-alone-when-we-obliterate-nature-and-our-bodies/)

[Yayoi Kusama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yayoi-kusama/)

> [A polka-dot has the form of the sun, which is a symbol of the energy of the whole world and our living life, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yayoi-kusama/a-polka-dot-has-the-form-of-the-sun-which-is-a-symbol-of-the-energy/)

[Yayoi Kusama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yayoi-kusama/)

> [I have been using polka dots since I was a very young child. Only after that, it seems, have they been used throughout the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yayoi-kusama/i-have-been-using-polka-dots-since-i-was-a-very-young-child-only/)

[Yayoi Kusama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yayoi-kusama/)

> [If there's a cat, I obliterate it by putting polka dot stickers on it. I obliterate a horse by putting polka dot stickers on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yayoi-kusama/if-there-s-a-cat-i-obliterate-it-by-putting-polka-dot-stickers-on-it/)

[Yayoi Kusama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yayoi-kusama/)

> [I love Damien Hirst. I respect his work a great deal, and I am happy that the polka dots I started using have become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yayoi-kusama/i-love-damien-hirst-i-respect-his-work-a-great-deal-and-i-am-happy/)

[Yayoi Kusama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yayoi-kusama/)

> [Suppose I put polka dots all over my body and then cover my background completely with polka dots. The polka dots on my body,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yayoi-kusama/suppose-i-put-polka-dots-all-over-my-body-and-then-cover-my/)

[Yayoi Kusama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yayoi-kusama/)

> [Since my childhood, I have always made works with polka dots. Earth, moon, sun and human beings all represent dots; a single particle among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yayoi-kusama/since-my-childhood-i-have-always-made-works-with-polka-dots-earth/)

[Yayoi Kusama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yayoi-kusama/)

> [“Through art alone are we able to emerge from ourselves, to know what another person sees of a universe which is not the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/through-art-alone-are-we-able-to-emerge-from-ourselves-to-know-what-2/)

[Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/)

> [Art is the only thing that helps people stay alive, and it is the only thing that has allowed people to create joy in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-lewis/art-is-the-only-thing-that-helps-people-stay-alive-and-it-is-the-only/)

[Juliette Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-lewis/)

> [Why I talk so seriously about art is that art is the only thing that helps people stay alive, and it is the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-lewis/why-i-talk-so-seriously-about-art-is-that-art-is-the-only-thing-that/)

[Juliette Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-lewis/)

> [Through art alone are we able to emerge from ourselves, to know what another person sees of a universe which is not the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/through-art-alone-are-we-able-to-emerge-from-ourselves-to-know-what/)

[Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/)

> [Art is the microscope of the mind, which sharpens the wit as the other does the sight; and converts every object into a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/art-is-the-microscope-of-the-mind-which-sharpens-the-wit-as-the-other/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [Art can be a kind of therapeutic, or kind of a fantasy life, or wish fulfillment...o r creating this alternate universe. Art gives me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-pettibon/art-can-be-a-kind-of-therapeutic-or-kind-of-a-fantasy-life-or-wish/)

[Raymond Pettibon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-pettibon/)

> [Art is universal. It unites mankind in common brotherhood. As a missionary of civilization, its message is both to heart and mind. Distinctions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-jackson-jarves/art-is-universal-it-unites-mankind-in-common-brotherhood-as-a/)

James Jackson Jarves

## More by Yayoi Kusama

> [My life is a dot lost among thousands of other dots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yayoi-kusama/my-life-is-a-dot-lost-among-thousands-of-other-dots/)

[Yayoi Kusama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yayoi-kusama/)

> [I want to create a thousand paintings, maybe two thousand paintings, as many as I can draw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yayoi-kusama/i-want-to-create-a-thousand-paintings-maybe-two-thousand-paintings-as/)

[Yayoi Kusama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yayoi-kusama/)

> [I was in the U.S. about 15 years. Especially in New York. And then I came back to Japan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yayoi-kusama/i-was-in-the-u-s-about-15-years-especially-in-new-york-and-then-i/)

[Yayoi Kusama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yayoi-kusama/)

> [I have done all the work myself, not assistants. That's why I'm in a wheelchair: I've been doing it physically - it's hard labour…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yayoi-kusama/i-have-done-all-the-work-myself-not-assistants-that-s-why-i-m-in-a/)

[Yayoi Kusama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yayoi-kusama/)

> [The reason I collaborate with Louis Vuitton is that Louis Vuitton is number one in the world, and I am honored to work with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yayoi-kusama/the-reason-i-collaborate-with-louis-vuitton-is-that-louis-vuitton-is/)

[Yayoi Kusama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yayoi-kusama/)

> [I hope royalty continues forever. This is the thing that can contribute to peace throughout the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yayoi-kusama/i-hope-royalty-continues-forever-this-is-the-thing-that-can/)

[Yayoi Kusama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yayoi-kusama/)

> [I, Kusama, am the modern Alice in Wonderland.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yayoi-kusama/i-kusama-am-the-modern-alice-in-wonderland/)

[Yayoi Kusama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yayoi-kusama/)

> [While producing art works, illusions appear from time to time due to my mental illness. Every day is a struggle for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yayoi-kusama/while-producing-art-works-illusions-appear-from-time-to-time-due-to/)

[Yayoi Kusama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yayoi-kusama/)

> [It is my wish to leave a message to the whole world from the universe, a message of love and peace to the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yayoi-kusama/it-is-my-wish-to-leave-a-message-to-the-whole-world-from-the-universe/)

[Yayoi Kusama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yayoi-kusama/)

> [I would like to dedicate to the whole world a great message. It is a message from Kusama who has struggled to survive as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yayoi-kusama/i-would-like-to-dedicate-to-the-whole-world-a-great-message-it-is-a/)

[Yayoi Kusama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yayoi-kusama/)

> [The thought of continually eating something like macaroni, spat out by machinery, fills me with fear and revulsion, so I make macaroni sculptures. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yayoi-kusama/the-thought-of-continually-eating-something-like-macaroni-spat-out-by/)

[Yayoi Kusama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yayoi-kusama/)

> [Suppose I put polka dots all over my body and then cover my background completely with polka dots. The polka dots on my body,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yayoi-kusama/suppose-i-put-polka-dots-all-over-my-body-and-then-cover-my/)

[Yayoi Kusama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yayoi-kusama/)

> [Become one with eternity. Become part of your environment. Take off your clothes. Forget yourself. Make love. Self-destruction is the only way to peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yayoi-kusama/become-one-with-eternity-become-part-of-your-environment-take-off/)

[Yayoi Kusama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yayoi-kusama/)

> [I have a large number of enthusiastic admirers of my art. And they all sing a hymn in praise from the bottom of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yayoi-kusama/i-have-a-large-number-of-enthusiastic-admirers-of-my-art-and-they-all/)

[Yayoi Kusama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yayoi-kusama/)

> [I always see these landscapes in my dreams, and feel happy. I desperately try to transform these dreams into artwork, so that even while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yayoi-kusama/i-always-see-these-landscapes-in-my-dreams-and-feel-happy-i/)

[Yayoi Kusama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yayoi-kusama/)

[Explore all 66 Yayoi Kusama quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yayoi-kusama/)

## 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

> [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": "With just one polka dot, nothing can be achieved. In the universe, there is the sun, the moon, the earth, and hundreds of millions of stars. All of us live in the unfathomable mystery and infinitude of the universe. Pursuing 'philosophy of the universe' through art under such circumstances has led me to what I call 'stereotypical repetition.'",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Yayoi Kusama"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yayoi-kusama/with-just-one-polka-dot-nothing-can-be-achieved-in-the-universe-there/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yayoi-kusama/with-just-one-polka-dot-nothing-can-be-achieved-in-the-universe-there/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e7/yayoi-kusama-10408_art_with-just-one-polka-dot-nothing-can-be-a_1058264.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e7/yayoi-kusama-10408_art_with-just-one-polka-dot-nothing-can-be-a_1058264.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e7/yayoi-kusama-10408_art_with-just-one-polka-dot-nothing-can-be-a_1058264.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“With just one polka dot, nothing can be achieved. In the universe, there is the sun, the moon, the earth…” — Yayoi Kusama",
                "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": "Yayoi Kusama",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yayoi-kusama/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "With just one polka dot, nothing...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yayoi-kusama/with-just-one-polka-dot-nothing-can-be-achieved-in-the-universe-there/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yayoi-kusama/with-just-one-polka-dot-nothing-can-be-achieved-in-the-universe-there/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
