What is a well-chosen collection of pictures, but walls hung round with thoughts?

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.

A mere copier of nature can never produce anything great.

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.

For capitalism to develop, customary ties between people and the land must be severed, and communal obligations among people disrupted.

Isn't better to excel in your work than wasting time on fruitless things ... after all to become the history, you have to write it.

Holland?lies so low they're only saved by being dammed.

A salesman sees a commission.

It really helps a comedian to be an outsider.

You've got to expect things are going to go wrong. And we always need to prepare ourselves for handling the unexpected.

My heart's desire is to be recognised in Nigeria.

He is now walking from his dream.

I am a parasite off beauty.

I was born with a crippled leg. I wore a corrective shoes since I was three years old and I still wear them.