The artist should not be satisfied to only play the part of a mirror.

There is nothing new under the sun, not even Manet.

The wretched beings depicted by Millet touch us profoundly because he loved them profoundly. They have nothing in common with vulgar ugliness. Beauty will always remain the highest aim of art.

I have always had a passion for the beautiful. If the man in me is often a pessimist, the artist, on the contrary, is pre-eminently an optimist.

I had not yet acquired the experience which gives modesty.

The true is not material reality only.

You may not need to tell me, I can hear your song better when your voice is silent and your heart is singing.

We are liberated by the examples of the brave, the talented, and the successful if we allow ourselves that freedom.

It’s relatively easy to act nice and normal in front of a crowd, or in public. The tricky part is doing it in private.

I paint the fog - I think of its fresh moistness - its stillness - its mystery.

Ideas are incestuous.

I don't think a songwriter should lose their mojo. In my situation, I'm one of those artists that lasts over a long period rather than have your moment and your moment is gone.

I'd distract myself until finally it was a combination of things. The show was over and I had time on my hands. I had taken time and played and just relaxed.

A nation is the sum of its memories, and when those memories are allowed to die, it is less of a nation.

In the referendum - which was still decided to take place by the Crimea's old parliament - the majority of citizens voted for belonging to Russia. This is democracy, the people's will.