20 Fantastic Quotes From Leonardo da Vinci on Creativity
For anyone seeking inspiration, wisdom, or a deeper connection to the creative process, Leonardo da Vinci's words are worth studying. Da Vinci was a genius in art, science, and engineering and continues to inspire artists, thinkers, and innovators today.
This collection of his quotes gives us a glimpse into the mind of a master. Whether you're looking to ignite your creative spark or gain a new perspective, these timeless words will inspire you and get you thinking in new ways.
Bringing Art to Life
“Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art.”
Getting Started
“It's easier to resist at the beginning than at the end.”
More Than Replication
“The painter who draws merely by practice and by eye, without any reason, is like a mirror which copies every thing placed in front of it without being conscious of their existence.”
Loving
“For, verily, great love springs from great knowledge of the beloved object, and if you little know it, you will be able to love it only little or not at all.”
Making Things Happen
“It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.”
The Universe
“The painter has the Universe in his mind and hands.”
Everything Connects
“Principles for the Development of a Complete Mind: Study the science of art. Study the art of science. Develop your senses- especially learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.”
Take a Break
“Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer. Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller and more of it can be taken in at a glance and a lack of harmony and proportion is more readily seen.”
Seeing the Unseen
“The artist sees what others only catch a glimpse of.”
Being Present
“An average human looks without seeing, listens without hearing, touches without feeling, eats without tasting, moves without physical awareness, inhales without awareness of odour or fragrance, and talks without thinking.”
Nothing Left
“A poet knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”
Art as Communication
“Art is the queen of all sciences communicating knowledge to all the generations of the world.”
Perfection
“Details make perfection, and perfection is not a detail.”
Comparison
“The painter will produce pictures of little merit if he takes the works of others as his standard.”
Copying
“He who can copy can do.”
Paint What You Want to See
“If the painter wishes to see beauties that charm him, it lies in his power to create them, and if he wishes to see monstrosities that are frightful, ridiculous, or truly pitiable, he is lord and God thereof.”
Attributes of Sight
“Painting is concerned with all the 10 attributes of sight; which are: Darkness and Light, Solidity and Color, Form and Position, Distance and Propinquity, Motion and Rest.”
Painting and Poetry
“Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.”
The Power of Constraint
“Art lives from constraints and dies from freedom.”
Curiosity
“To become an artist you have to be curious.”
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Alissa Zorn is an author, and founder of the website Overthought This. She's a coach and cartoonist passionate about helping people overcome perfectionism and shame to build authentic, joyful lives. Alissa is certified through the International Coach Federation and got her Trauma-Informed Coaching certification from Moving the Human Spirit. She wrote Bounceback Parenting: A Field Guide for Creating Connection, Not Perfection, and is always following curiosity to find her next creative endeavor.