A mere copier of nature can never produce anything great.

There is no expedient to which a man will not resort to avoid the real labor of thinking.

The real character of a man is found out by his amusements.

Few have been taught to any purpose who have not been their own teachers.

A room hung with pictures is a room hung with thoughts.

Our Exhibitions [The Royal Academy] have... a mischievous tendency, by seducing the Painter to an ambition of pleasing indiscriminately the mixed multitude of people who resort to them.

Art in its perfection is not ostentatious; it lies hid and works its effect, itself unseen.

The great end of all arts is to make an impression on the imagination and the feeling. The imitation of nature frequently does this. Sometimes it fails and something else succeeds.

Taste depends upon those finer emotions which make the organization of the soul.

Genius is supposed to be a power of producing excellences which are put of the reach of the rules of art: a power which no precepts can teach, and which no industry can acquire.

Invention strictly speaking, is little more than a new combination of those images which have been previously gathered and deposited in the memory; nothing can come from nothing.

All the stars in the sky cannot worth as much as yours only because it belongs to you.

Part of it went on gambling, and part of it went on women. The rest I spent foolishly.

Turkish soldiers are very brave. They love their homeland and they do not hesitate to give their lives for it if necessary.

What does tamed mean? It's something that's been too often neglected. It means to create ties.

I've never had a good line. Well, maybe 'I must break you'.

And that's when I know it's over. As soon as you start thinking about the beginning, it's the end.

I always felt that I came up short in the education department, but I've come to the conclusion that we all get an education.

I have heard that stiff people lose something of their awkwardness under high ceilings, and in spacious halls. I think, sculptureand painting have an effect to teach us manners, and abolish hurry.

Why do women care about how big their feet are? I never saw a guy at the beach going, 'Wow, look at that woman, she is really... oh, darn! The feet are too big.'

And when I'm introduced to one I wish I thought What Jolly Fun!