To be an artist, one must . . . never shirk from the truth as he understands it, never withdraw from life

As an artist I have always tried to be faithful to my vision of life, and I have frequently been in conflict with those who wanted me to paint not what I saw but what they wished me to see.

The rôle of the artist is that of a soldier of the revolution.

I've never believed in God, but I believe in Picasso.

Looking back upon my work today, I think the best I have done grew out of things deeply felt, the worst from a pride in mere talent.

Art is like ham-it nourishes people.

July 13, 1954 was the most tragic day of my life. I had lost my beloved Frida forever. To late now I realized that the most wonderful part of my life had been my love for Frida.

Only the work of art itself can raise the standard of taste.

If I ever loved a woman, the more I loved her, the more I wanted to hurt her. Frida was only the most obvious victim of this disgusting trait.

Through her paintings, she breaks all the taboos of the woman's body and of female sexuality.

The artist must try to raise the level of taste of the masses, not debase himself to the level of unformed and impoverished taste.

Virtue will cut your head off, vice will only cut your hair.

The best road to progress is freedom's road.

I brought a lot of images of pieces I got from my grandmother, pieces I collected over time and then we met with a designer and we tried to morph all my inspirations into one story.

We are increasingly recognising and accepting, respecting and celebrating, our cultural diversity.

I just feel that my competitive drive is far greater than anyone else that I've met, and I think that I thrive on that.

Of metaphors, those generally conduce most to energy or vivacity of style which illustrate an intellectual by a sensible object.

We are not dealing with a scientific problem. We are dealing with a political issue.

On any movie I'm involved with, I say what I think.

I love Ireland. I'll always be 100pc Irish. I get really excited when I go to Sligo; it's my home.

I don't envy young Brits crossing the Atlantic to make their fortunes today.