The enormous pitfall is devotion to oneself instead of to life. All works that are self-devoted are absolutely ineffective.

Doing what you were born to do … That's the way to be happy.

My paintings are not about what is seen. They are about what is known forever in the mind.

Art is the concrete representation of our most subtle feelings.

When I think of art I think of beauty. Beauty is the mystery of life. It is not in the eye it is in the mind. In our minds there is awareness of perfection.

Beauty is the mystery of life. It is not in the eye, it is in the mind.

When you look in your mind you find it covered with a lot of rubbishy thoughts. You have to penetrate these and hear what your mind is telling you to do. Such work is original work.

It's through discipline and tremendous disappointment and failure that you arrive at what it is you must paint.

I'm very careful not to have ideas, because they're inaccurate.

Inspiration is there all the time. For everyone whose mind is not clouded over with thoughts whether they realize it or not.

That which takes us by surprise-moments of happiness-that is inspiration.

this is the rough part, okay? so just stay tuned for the good part. i promise it'll come soon.

I hope that I capture something in my work that is about the elusive, the magical and powerful and the transformative. The writing in itself is transformative for me.

God, with a wisdom I can't claim to understand, called you home a long time ago, and the tears I shed that night have never seemed to dry.

Read to refresh your mind.

You can't build anything with a flimsy foundation. Friendship is the foundation.

The wisdom of age: don't stop walking.

If you prefer smoke over fire then get up now and leave. For I do not intend to perfume your mind's clothing with more sooty knowledge.

The need to treat ourselves as well as we treat others. It's women's version of the Golden Rule.

I think I would rather be a man than a god. We don’t need anyone to believe in us. We just keep going anyhow. It’s what we do.

I own some bugs encased in lucite or something. I also have a big cat's eye - a fake one - made for a taxidermist. I really like animals.