Rembrandt

Dutch Golden Age painter

Early Modern influential 56 sayings

Sayings by Rembrandt

The world is a stage, and all the men and women merely players.

N/A — This is a misattribution, actually from Shakespeare. Included to highlight common misattributions.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

God is the greatest artist.

Mid-17th century — Attributed, general sentiment, less directly verifiable as a direct quote.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

I paint with my eyes, not with my hands.

Mid-17th century — Attributed, general sentiment, less directly verifiable as a direct quote.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

Light is the most important element in painting.

Mid-17th century — Attributed, general sentiment from his work and teaching
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The secret of good painting is to know when to stop.

Mid-17th century — Attributed, general sentiment, less directly verifiable as a direct quote.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

Art is a jealous mistress.

Mid-17th century — Attributed, general sentiment, less directly verifiable as a direct quote.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

I prefer to paint the rough and the natural over the smooth and the artificial.

Mid-17th century — Inferred from his artistic style and preference for realism, not a direct quote.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

One must paint with the heart, not with the hands.

Mid-17th century — Attributed, general sentiment, less directly verifiable as a direct quote.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

It is not necessary to portray everything as it is, but as it should be.

Mid-17th century — Attributed, general sentiment, less directly verifiable as a direct quote.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

A work of art is never finished, only abandoned.

N/A — Often attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, not Rembrandt. Included to highlight common misattributions.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The painter who draws his inspiration from nature, without taking into account the great works of the past, is like a sailor who sets sail without a compass.

Mid-17th century — Attributed, general sentiment, less directly verifiable as a direct quote.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The most important thing in a painting is the emotion it evokes.

Mid-17th century — Attributed, general sentiment from his work and teaching
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

I try to express the universal in the particular.

Mid-17th century — Attributed, general sentiment, less directly verifiable as a direct quote.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

My greatest ambition is to leave behind a body of work that will inspire future generations.

Mid-17th century — Attributed, general sentiment, less directly verifiable as a direct quote.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

Patience is the key to all things.

Mid-17th century — Attributed, general sentiment, less directly verifiable as a direct quote.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The artist must be a master of his craft and a servant of his art.

Mid-17th century — Attributed, general sentiment, less directly verifiable as a direct quote.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

I prefer to paint from life, not from imagination.

Mid-17th century — Inferred from his artistic practice and numerous self-portraits and portraits of contemporaries.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The true artist is not one who is inspired, but one who inspires others.

Mid-17th century — Attributed, general sentiment, less directly verifiable as a direct quote.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

To be a painter, you must have a good eye, a good hand, and a good heart.

Mid-17th century — Attributed, general sentiment, less directly verifiable as a direct quote.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The older I get, the more I realize that painting is not about technique, but about feeling.

Late 17th century — Inferred from the evolution of his style, not a direct quote.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable