Vincent van Gogh, the Dutch Post-Impressionist painter, was not only a revolutionary artist whose works reshaped the world of art, but also a deeply introspective soul whose letters and personal reflections reveal profound insights into the human experience. Through his words, van Gogh offers a poignant perspective on life—one shaped by passion, pain, perseverance, and a relentless pursuit of meaning and beauty in even the simplest things.
In this collection, we present 45 unique quotes from van Gogh that speak volumes about life. These are not mere words—they are echoes of a heart that felt deeply and saw the world with rare intensity. Each quote is offered on its own, unadorned and uncommented, allowing his voice to speak directly to yours. From joy and sorrow to love and solitude, van Gogh’s reflections remain timeless in their relevance.
45 Van Gogh Quotes About Life Worth Remembering
The Brushstrokes of a Restless Soul
1. “What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?”
2. “There is peace even in the storm.”
3. “The more I think it over, the more I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.”
4. “Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.”
5. “Normality is a paved road: It’s comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it.”
6. “The beginning is perhaps more difficult than anything else, but keep heart, it will turn out all right.”
7. “There is no blue without yellow and without orange.”
8. “The heart of man is very much like the sea; it has its storms, it has its tides and in its depths, it has its pearls too.”
9. “Your profession is not what brings home your weekly paycheck, your profession is what you’re put here on earth to do, with such passion and such intensity that it becomes spiritual in calling.”
10. “It is looking at things for a long time that ripens you and gives you a deeper meaning.”
In Search of Beauty and Meaning
11. “I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day.”
12. “Exaggerate the essential, leave the obvious vague.”
13. “I am seeking. I am striving. I am in it with all my heart.”
14. “I put my heart and my soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process.”
15. “Let’s not forget that the little emotions are the great captains of our lives and we obey them without realizing it.”
16. “I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.”
17. “I want to touch people with my art. I want them to say ‘he feels deeply, he feels tenderly.’”
18. “A great fire burns within me, but no one stops to warm themselves at it, and passers-by only see a wisp of smoke.”
19. “I dream my painting, and then I paint my dream.”
20. “To suffer without complaint is the only lesson we have to learn in this life.”
Echoes from the Edge of Existence
21. “Life itself, even with its ups and downs, is a kind of art.”
22. “It is not the language of painters but the language of nature which one should listen to.”
23. “To do good work one must eat well, be well housed, have one’s fling from time to time, smoke one’s pipe, and drink one’s coffee in peace.”
24. “In spite of everything I shall rise again: I will take up my pencil, which I have forsaken in my great discouragement, and I will go on with my drawing.”
25. “As long as autumn lasts, I shall not have hands, canvas and colors enough to paint the beautiful things I see.”
26. “Art demands persistent work, work, and work again.”
27. “If one is master of one thing and understands one thing well, one has at the same time insight into and understanding of many things.”
28. “The only time I feel alive is when I’m painting.”
29. “If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.”
30. “I try more and more to be myself, caring relatively little whether people approve or disapprove.”
Finding Light Through the Shadows
31. “I would rather die of passion than of boredom.”
32. “Love always brings difficulties, that is true, but the good side of it is that it gives energy.”
33. “I’m such a nobody who has nothing to lose, yet I love the world passionately.”
34. “Conscience is a man’s compass.”
35. “Don’t lose heart if it’s very difficult at times, everything will come out all right—and nobody can in the beginning do as he wishes.”
36. “One may have a blazing hearth in one’s soul and yet no one ever comes to sit by it.”
37. “The best way to know God is to love many things.”
38. “Even the knowledge of my own fallibility cannot keep me from making mistakes. Only when I fall do I get up again.”
39. “Do not quench your inspiration and your imagination; do not become the slave of your model.”
40. “How can I be useful, of what service can I be? There is something inside me, what can it be?”
Final Strokes of a Singular Vision
41. “I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it.”
42. “To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.”
43. “Life is probably round.”
44. “Poetry surrounds us everywhere, but putting it on paper is, alas, not so easy as looking at it.”
45. “Success is sometimes the outcome of a whole string of failures.”
Conclusion
Vincent van Gogh’s words mirror the same vibrant, tumultuous beauty as his art. In his reflections, we see a man who bore the weight of the world, yet chose again and again to create, to love, and to express the deepest truths of existence. Each of these quotes stands as a testament to the fullness of life—from its burdens to its breathtaking joys.
Though van Gogh’s life was marked by hardship, his legacy is one of light. He reminds us to find purpose in the struggle, to embrace authenticity, to feel passionately, and to see the beauty that lies just beneath the surface of everyday moments. His words, like his paintings, continue to stir souls and inspire minds across generations.
May these 45 quotes help you find clarity in chaos, courage in the mundane, and connection in your own human journey.
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