--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I never thought, \"I'm going to be an…" description: "\"I never thought, \"I'm going to be an artist\". When I actually began to become successful in the art world I made it a point to say, 'I am a dilettante,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67e/yoko-ono-726_art_i-never-thought-i-m-going-to-be-an-artis_764944.png" --- # I never thought, "I'm going to be an artist". When I… ![“I never thought, "I'm going to be an artist". When I actually began to become successful in the art world I made it a point to say, 'I am a dilettante, I am not a professional artist", which is true.” quote by Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67e/yoko-ono-726_art_i-never-thought-i-m-going-to-be-an-artis_764944.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67e/yoko-ono-726_art_i-never-thought-i-m-going-to-be-an-artis_764944.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67e/yoko-ono-726_art_i-never-thought-i-m-going-to-be-an-artis_764944.png) > “I never thought, "I'm going to be an artist". When I actually began to become successful in the art world I made it a point to say, 'I am a dilettante, I am not a professional artist", which is true.” [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She emphasizes humility, rejecting professional labels to stay open and experimental in her artistic practice. **In simple terms:** Staying humble keeps creativity fresh and avoids rigid identity. Key Takeaway Embrace a learner’s mindset and avoid fixed labels. Themes humility creativity identity artistic freedom Mood playful introspective Type inspirational personal When to use this quote - career development - personal branding - creative workshops - public speaking Key Concepts dilettante mindset self‑definition artistic authenticity Questions to Reflect On - What benefits arise from seeing yourself as a dilettante? - How does this affect your artistic risk‑taking? A Different Perspective Labeling oneself can limit growth and external perception. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-world/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Becoming successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/becoming-successful/) [Dilettantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dilettantes/) [Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [I never wanted to be a professional artist; I think that's limiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/i-never-wanted-to-be-a-professional-artist-i-think-that-s-limiting/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [The secret of a successful art career is to make more art that folks think they need than pieces they just want. When a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-white/the-secret-of-a-successful-art-career-is-to-make-more-art-that-folks/) [Jack White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-white/) > [Part of the triumph of modernist poetry is, indeed, to have demonstrated the great extent to which verse can do without explicit meaning and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clement-greenberg/part-of-the-triumph-of-modernist-poetry-is-indeed-to-have/) [Clement Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clement-greenberg/) > [“We consume our art like moths. We gather, momentarily, around wherever the biggest, brightest light seems to be. So these days, the most successful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/we-consume-our-art-like-moths-we-gather-momentarily-around-wherever/) [Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/) > [Years later, I figured out why he (Ivan Karp) was such a successful art dealer-this may sound strange, but I believe it was because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/years-later-i-figured-out-why-he-ivan-karp-was-such-a-successful-art/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [A simple equation for the production of successful art work is lots of reference material plus lots of art supplies equals lots of painting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/a-simple-equation-for-the-production-of-successful-art-work-is-lots/) [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) > [If you want to be successful in the art world you've got to look to the art world; you don't make it for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-perry/if-you-want-to-be-successful-in-the-art-world-you-ve-got-to-look-to/) [Grayson Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-perry/) > [My artist name is actually my real name - Denzel Curry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-curry/my-artist-name-is-actually-my-real-name-denzel-curry/) [Denzel Curry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-curry/) > [I love making up visual works of art in language. I get to be an artist without actually being an artist in that sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-love-making-up-visual-works-of-art-in-language-i-get-to-be-an/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [To be an artist — actually, to be a human being in these times — it’s all difficult. … What matters is to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/to-be-an-artist-actually-to-be-a-human-being-in-these-times-it-s-all/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [As an artist you actually do have to make a choice to be an outsider. If you're an outsider you have the freedom to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-nielsen/as-an-artist-you-actually-do-have-to-make-a-choice-to-be-an-outsider/) [Connie Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-nielsen/) > [The artist himself is actually the subject in everything after, say, 1900. Eventually, art becomes so removed from the community that you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-van-sant/the-artist-himself-is-actually-the-subject-in-everything-after-say/) [Gus Van Sant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-van-sant/) > [I think my father would have liked to have been an artist, actually. But I think he didn't quite have perhaps the drive or,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hockney/i-think-my-father-would-have-liked-to-have-been-an-artist-actually/) [David Hockney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hockney/) > [That's all I ever wanted to do in my life was music. And because I was a failed artist, I was actually able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-carter/that-s-all-i-ever-wanted-to-do-in-my-life-was-music-and-because-i-was/) [Troy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-carter/) > [The one artist who actually had influence over me was Bo Bartlett.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sherald/the-one-artist-who-actually-had-influence-over-me-was-bo-bartlett/) [Amy Sherald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sherald/) ## More by Yoko Ono > [Our public officials have forgotten that they are ultimately accountable to the people who put them in office, that the information they keep in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/our-public-officials-have-forgotten-that-they-are-ultimately/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [Smile in the mirror. Do that every morning and you'll start to see a big difference in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/smile-in-the-mirror-do-that-every-morning-and-you-ll-start-to-see-a/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [Think of the Earth as a turning point in eternity. Think of the Earth as a meeting point in infinity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/think-of-the-earth-as-a-turning-point-in-eternity-think-of-the-earth/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [If your life changes, we can change the world, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/if-your-life-changes-we-can-change-the-world-too/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [ When people get cynical about love, they should look at us \[Yoko and John Lennon\] and see it is possible ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/when-people-get-cynical-about-love-they-should-look-at-us-yoko-and/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [True artists are prophets. I don't want to be that prophetic in that sense because it's so lonely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/true-artists-are-prophets-i-don-t-want-to-be-that-prophetic-in-that/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [The first idea, the first art piece I ever did, was when I was four. I cut the seed of a pear in half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/the-first-idea-the-first-art-piece-i-ever-did-was-when-i-was-four-i/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [John wrote with a very deep love for the human race and a concern for its future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/john-wrote-with-a-very-deep-love-for-the-human-race-and-a-concern-for/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [I always believed that my work should be unfinished in the sense that I encourage people to add their creativity to it, either conceptually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/i-always-believed-that-my-work-should-be-unfinished-in-the-sense-that/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [Losing my daughter was a very serious pain. There was always some empty space in my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/losing-my-daughter-was-a-very-serious-pain-there-was-always-some/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [People don't remember each tree in a park but all of us benefit from the trees. And in a way, artists are like trees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/people-don-t-remember-each-tree-in-a-park-but-all-of-us-benefit-from/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [Marriage is a gamble, let's be honest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/marriage-is-a-gamble-let-s-be-honest/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [It's difficult to explain love. You want to explain water? You need a book for it. There are many different ways to explain what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/it-s-difficult-to-explain-love-you-want-to-explain-water-you-need-a/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [Being alone is very difficult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/being-alone-is-very-difficult/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [Many people do remember their births, but they deny it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/many-people-do-remember-their-births-but-they-deny-it/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) [Explore all 391 Yoko Ono quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) ## 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": "I never thought, \"I'm going to be an artist\". 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