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Vincent Van Gogh

Dutch Post-impressionist painter noted for his use of color (1853-1890)

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What am I in the eyes of most people — a nonentity, an eccentric, or an unpleasant person — somebody who has no position in society and will never have; in short, the lowest of the low. All right, then — even if that were absolutely true, then I should one day like to show by my work what such an eccentric, such a nobody, has in his heart. That is my ambition, based less on resentment than on love in spite of everything, based more on a feeling of serenity than on passion. Though I am often in the depths of misery, there is still calmness, pure harmony and music inside me. I see paintings or drawings in the poorest cottages, in the dirtiest corners. And my mind is driven towards these things with an irresistible momentum.” ― Vincent van Gogh

– Vincent Van Gogh

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Many people seem to think it foolish, even superstitious, to believe that the world could still change for the better. And it is true that in winter it is sometimes so bitingly cold that one is tempted to say, ‘What do I care if there is a summer; its warmth is no help to me now.’ Yes, evil often seems to surpass good. But then, in spite of us, and without our permission, there comes at last an end to the bitter frosts. One morning the wind turns, and there is a thaw. And so I must still have hope.”

– Vincent Van Gogh

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Patience is bitter but it’s fruit is sweet

– Vincent Van Gogh

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Seek only light and freedom and do not immerse yourself too deeply in the worldly mire.”

– Vincent Van Gogh

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Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof

– Vincent Van Gogh

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How can I be useful, of what service can I be There is something inside me, what can it be

– Vincent Van Gogh

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What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?

– Vincent Van Gogh

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In the end we shall have had enough of cynicism, skepticism and humbug, and we shall want to live more musically.”

– Vincent Van Gogh

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It is better to be high-spirited even though one makes more mistakes, than to be narrow-minded and all too prudent.

– Vincent Van Gogh

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Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.

– Vincent Van Gogh

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Conscience is a man's compass.

– Vincent van Gogh

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Our greatest glory consists not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall.

– Vincent Van Gogh

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Keep your love of nature, for that is the true way to understand art more and more.

– Vincent Van Gogh

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I am not an adventurer by choice but by fate.

– Vincent Van Gogh

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If one feels the need of something grand, something infinite, something that makes one feel aware of God, one need not go far to find it. I think that I see something deeper, more infinite, more eternal than the ocean in the expression of the eyes of a little baby when it wakes in the morning and coos or laughs because it sees the sun shining on its cradle.

– Vincent Van Gogh

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If one is the master of one thing and understands one thing well, one has at the same time insight into and understanding of many things.

– Vincent Van Gogh

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There may be a great fire in our soul, yet no one ever comes to warm himself at it, and the passers-by see only a wisp of smoke.

– Vincent Van Gogh

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The best way to know God is to love many things.

– Vincent Van Gogh

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The more I think about it, the more I realize there is nothing more artistic than to love others.

– Vincent van Gogh

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I confess I do not know why, but looking at the stars always makes me dream.

– Vincent Van Gogh

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At present I absolutely want to paint a starry sky. It often seems to me that night is still more richly coloured than the day; having hues of the most intense violets, blues and greens. If only you pay attention to it you will see that certain stars are lemon-yellow, others pink or a green, blue and forget-me-not brilliance. And without my expatiating on this theme it is obvious that putting little white dots on the blue-black is not enough to paint a starry sky.”

– Vincent Van Gogh

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It is not the language of painters but the language of nature which one should listen to. . . . The feeling for the things themselves, for reality, is more important than the feeling for pictures.

– Vincent Van Gogh

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Modern reality has got such a hold on us that... when we attempt to reconstruct the ancient days in our thoughts...the minor events of our lives tear us away from our meditations, and... thrust us back into our personal [problems].”

– Vincent Van Gogh

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Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.

– Vincent van Gogh

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Love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is done well.

– Vincent Van Gogh

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Paintings have a life of their own that derives from the painter's soul.

– Vincent Van Gogh

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I wish they would only take me as I am.

– Vincent Van Gogh

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An artist needn't be a clergyman or a church warden, but he must have a warm heart for his fellow men.

– Vincent Van Gogh

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One may have a blazing hearth in one's soul and yet no one ever come to sit by it. Passersby see only a wisp of smoke from the chimney and continue on the way.

– Vincent Van Gogh

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Do not quench your inspiration and your inmagination do not become the slave of your model.

– Vincent Van Gogh

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A good picture is equivalent to a good deed.

– Vincent Van Gogh

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Do not quench your inspiration and your imagination; do not become the slave of your model.

– Vincent van Gogh

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Even the longest journey must start with the first step

– Vincent Van Gogh

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For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.

– Vincent Van Gogh

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Great things are done by a seris of small things brought together.

– Vincent Van Gogh

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I do that which I cannot do, that I may learn to do it.

– Vincent Van Gogh

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If boyhood and youth are but vanity, must it not be our ambition to become men?

– Vincent van Gogh

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If one is master of one thing and understands one thing well, one has at the same time, insight into and understanding of many things.

– Vincent van Gogh

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It is not the language of painters but the language of nature which one should listen to the feeling for the things themselves, for reality, is more important than the feeling for pictures.

– Vincent van Gogh

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Let us keep courage and try to be patient and gentle. And let us not mind being eccentric, and make distinction between good and evil.”

– Vincent Van Gogh

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The Mediterranean has the color of mackerel, changeable I mean. You don't always know if it is green or violet, you can't even say it's blue, because the next moment the changing reflection has taken on a tint of rose or gray.

– Vincent van Gogh

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Quotes from the news wire:

It's the smaller galleries that feed the mid-tier galleries that feed the larger galleries, and we all have to be respectful of that process because otherwise it's like watching the Great Barrier Reef die, we're all part of a much larger ecosystem.

– Vincent Van Gogh

Found on Reuters 6 years ago

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PhoenixtheElder
Everyday people treat mystics, seers and artists like Vincent this way everyday. But fortunately, we live by fate, not by the will of peoples judgments.
LikeReply 13 years ago
Jolanta Szmidt
He was born in Zundert in the Netherlands here where I live. Pity was too late appreciated.
LikeReply 28 years ago
- Emad M. Shurrab
  Truely he was great artist
  LikeReply 28 years ago
Jim Favia
It 's a shame that the world could only keep him here a short time... What a troubled but beautiful man..
LikeReply 29 years ago