Gertrude Stein Quotes

Powerful Gertrude Stein for Daily Growth

About Gertrude Stein

Gertrude Stein (1874-1946) was an influential American modernist writer, art collector, and patron of the arts who spent most of her adult life in France. Born to a prosperous Jewish family in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Stein's early education was primarily guided by private tutors. She attended Radcliffe College for two years but left without graduating. Stein moved to Paris in 1893, where she would spend the majority of her life and become an integral part of the city's artistic community. With her brother Leo, she opened a renowned salon that attracted artists such as Picasso, Matisse, and Hemingway. Known for her distinctive style and intellectual curiosity, Stein became a significant figure in the development of modernism. One of Stein's most influential works is "Three Lives" (1905), a collection of interconnected short stories that showcased her innovative use of language and stream-of-consciousness narrative techniques. Another notable work is "Tender Buttons" (1914), which defied traditional literary structures and explored the connections between words, objects, and concepts. Stein's magnum opus, "The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas" (1933), was a semi-fictional account of her life and experiences, narrated from the perspective of her longtime partner, Alice B. Toklas. The book became a bestseller and brought Stein international acclaim. Stein's works have had a profound impact on literature, art, and culture. Her innovative approaches to language and storytelling continue to influence writers today, while her patronage of artists like Picasso and Matisse remains an important aspect of modern art history. Gertrude Stein died in 1946 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"A rose is a rose is a rose."

Gertrude Stein's quote, "A rose is a rose is a rose," suggests an emphasis on the inherent identity and essence of things, irrespective of their context or description. In simpler terms, it asserts that something is what it is, not defined by how it is perceived or labeled, but by its intrinsic nature. Stein uses the familiar image of a rose to convey this idea: regardless of whether we're talking about one rose or another, they remain fundamentally roses due to their shared characteristics and essence.

"America is my home—I was born in it."

This quote by Gertrude Stein emphasizes her strong sense of attachment to America, the land where she was born. It signifies not only a geographical origin but also an emotional connection, reflecting her profound identification with her birth country. Despite her extensive travels and residence in Europe for many years, America remained her home in essence, embodying her roots and identity.

"You are all a few too much."

Gertrude Stein's quote, "You are all a few too much," implies an excess or surfeit of individuality in a collective context. It suggests that the group as a whole contains more than enough unique perspectives, emotions, or traits, making it difficult to discern the nuances of any one member. In essence, Stein is saying that each person contributes so richly that it becomes challenging to differentiate between them, creating a harmonious but somewhat overwhelming intermingling of personalities.

"The world is not linear, it's cubist."

Gertrude Stein's quote suggests that the world, unlike traditional artistic depictions in linear perspective, is a complex and multifaceted structure. Just as Cubism presents multiple planes and viewpoints simultaneously, life also contains numerous interwoven elements that cannot be fully grasped through a single, linear understanding. This quote encourages us to perceive the world from different angles and perspectives, recognizing its intricate, non-linear nature.

"Time is the subject which time is the predicate."

Gertrude Stein's quote, "Time is the subject which time is the predicate," suggests that time, as a concept, can be both the focus of examination (the subject) and the characteristic or attribute being examined (the predicate). In other words, we often think about and discuss time in terms of its own passing (e.g., "Time flies when you're having fun") and as something that affects or is affected by events or changes happening within it (e.g., "The passage of time reveals the true value of things"). The quote invites us to consider time as a complex, self-referential phenomenon that both contains and defines our experiences.

Poetry consists in a rhyming dictionary and things seen.

- Gertrude Stein

Dictionary, Things, Consists, Rhyming

There ain't no answer. There ain't gonna be any answer. There never has been an answer. That's the answer.

- Gertrude Stein

Politics, Never, Been, Answer

Money is always there but the pockets change; it is not in the same pockets after a change, and that is all there is to say about money.

- Gertrude Stein

Money, Always, Same, Pockets

Nature is commonplace. Imitation is more interesting.

- Gertrude Stein

Nature, Interesting, More, Commonplace

I have always noticed that in portraits of really great writers the mouth is always firmly closed.

- Gertrude Stein

Mouth, Always, Firmly, Portraits

Men and girls, men and girls: Artificial swine and pearls.

- Gertrude Stein

Men, Pearls, Artificial, Swine

In a war everybody always knows all about Switzerland, in peace times it is just Switzerland but in war time it is the only country that everybody has confidence in, everybody.

- Gertrude Stein

Country, Always, Everybody, Only Country

Considering how dangerous everything is, nothing is really very frightening.

- Gertrude Stein

Nothing, How, Very, Considering

Sculpture is made with two instruments and some supports and pretty air.

- Gertrude Stein

Some, Pretty, Instruments, Sculpture

The nineteenth century was completely lacking in logic, it had cosmic terms and hopes, and aspirations, and discoveries, and ideals but it had no logic.

- Gertrude Stein

Cosmic, Ideals, Nineteenth, Aspirations

But the problem is that when I go around and speak on campuses, I still don't get young men standing up and saying, 'How can I combine career and family?'

- Gertrude Stein

Career, Still, Standing Up, Young Men

The nineteenth century believed in science but the twentieth century does not.

- Gertrude Stein

Science, Century, Twentieth

Communists are people who fancied that they had an unhappy childhood.

- Gertrude Stein

Childhood, Unhappy, Fancied, Communists

Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense.

- Gertrude Stein

Technology, Lose, Everybody, Common Sense

Everyone gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense.

- Gertrude Stein

Lose, Sense, Everyone, Common Sense

A vegetable garden in the beginning looks so promising and then after all little by little it grows nothing but vegetables, nothing, nothing but vegetables.

- Gertrude Stein

Gardening, Beginning, Grows, Garden

What is marriage, is marriage protection or religion, is marriage renunciation or abundance, is marriage a stepping-stone or an end. What is marriage.

- Gertrude Stein

Marriage, Stepping-Stone, Renunciation

Do not forget birthdays. This is in no way a propaganda for a larger population.

- Gertrude Stein

Forget, Propaganda, Larger, Birthdays

It is funny that men who are supposed to be scientific cannot get themselves to realise the basic principle of physics, that action and reaction are equal and opposite, that when you persecute people you always rouse them to be strong and stronger.

- Gertrude Stein

Strong, Principle, Rouse, Persecute

It is extraordinary that when you are acquainted with a whole family you can forget about them.

- Gertrude Stein

Family, Extraordinary, About, Acquainted

The minute you or anybody else knows what you are you are not it, you are what you or anybody else knows you are and as everything in living is made up of finding out what you are it is extraordinarily difficult really not to know what you are and yet to be that thing.

- Gertrude Stein

Living, Made, Anybody, Extraordinarily

I don't envisage collectivism. There is no such animal, it is always individualism, sometimes the rest vote and sometimes they do not, and if they do they do and if they do not they do not.

- Gertrude Stein

Rest, Always, Individualism, Envisage

Every adolescent has that dream every century has that dream every revolutionary has that dream, to destroy the family.

- Gertrude Stein

Dream, Century, Adolescent

I could undertake to be an efficient pupil if it were possible to find an efficient teacher.

- Gertrude Stein

Teacher, Could, Undertake, Pupil

Is it worse to be scared than to be bored, that is the question.

- Gertrude Stein

Question, Worse, Than, Scared

I like a view but I like to sit with my back turned to it.

- Gertrude Stein

View, Like, Turned, Sit

It takes a lot of time to be a genius, you have to sit around so much doing nothing, really doing nothing.

- Gertrude Stein

Genius, Doing, Lot, Sit

Oh, I wish I were a miser; being a miser must be so occupying.

- Gertrude Stein

Wish, I Wish, Occupying, Miser

It is funny the two things most men are proudest of is the thing that any man can do and doing does in the same way, that is being drunk and being the father of their son.

- Gertrude Stein

Father, Doing, Being, Proudest

What is the answer? In that case, what is the question?

- Gertrude Stein

Question, Answer, Case

Just before she died she asked, What is the answer? No answer came. She laughed and said, In that case, what is the question? Then she died.

- Gertrude Stein

She, Answer, Asked, Case

Just as everybody has the vote including women, I think children should, because as a child is conscious of itself then it has to me an existence and has a stake in what happens.

- Gertrude Stein

Think, Everybody, I Think, Vote

Do you know because I tell you so, or do you know, do you know.

- Gertrude Stein

Know, Tell, Because, Do You Know

There is too much fathering going on just now and there is no doubt about it fathers are depressing.

- Gertrude Stein

Dad, Fathers, Fathering, Depressing

Supposing everyone lived at one time what would they say. They would observe that stringing string beans is universal.

- Gertrude Stein

Say, String, Everyone, One Time

Americans are very friendly and very suspicious, that is what Americans are and that is what always upsets the foreigner, who deals with them, they are so friendly how can they be so suspicious they are so suspicious how can they be so friendly but they just are.

- Gertrude Stein

Always, Friendly, Very, Upsets

Argument is to me the air I breathe. Given any proposition, I cannot help believing the other side and defending it.

- Gertrude Stein

Argument, Other, Given, Breathe

Everybody knows if you are too careful you are so occupied in being careful that you are sure to stumble over something.

- Gertrude Stein

Stumble, Over, Everybody, Occupied

Literature - creative literature - unconcerned with sex, is inconceivable.

- Gertrude Stein

Literature, Inconceivable, Unconcerned

Everybody thinks that this civilization has lasted a very long time but it really does take very few grandfathers' granddaughters to take us back to the dark ages.

- Gertrude Stein

Everybody, Very, Dark Ages

Once more I can climb about and remind you that a woman in this epoch does the important literary thinking.

- Gertrude Stein

Woman, More, Literary, Remind

Hemingway's remarks are not literature.

- Gertrude Stein

Literature, Remarks, Hemingway

Picasso once remarked I do not care who it is that has or does influence me as long as it is not myself.

- Gertrude Stein

Myself, Once, Does, Picasso

Remarks are not literature.

- Gertrude Stein

Literature, Remarks

I know what Germans are. They are a funny people. They are always choosing someone to lead them in a direction which they do not want to go.

- Gertrude Stein

Always, Funny People, Which, Germans

A masterpiece... may be unwelcome but it is never dull.

- Gertrude Stein

Never, May, Unwelcome, Dull

It is natural not to care about a sister certainly not when she is four years older and grinds her teeth at night.

- Gertrude Stein

Night, Natural, Certainly, Sister

Name any name and then remember everybody you ever knew who bore that name. Are they all alike. I think so.

- Gertrude Stein

Think, Everybody, I Think, Bore

It is very easy to love alone.

- Gertrude Stein

Love, Alone, Very, To Love

The contemporary thing in art and literature is the thing which doesn't make enough difference to the people of that generation so that they can accept it or reject it.

- Gertrude Stein

Art, Generation, Which, Contemporary

When they are alone they want to be with others, and when they are with others they want to be alone. After all, human beings are like that.

- Gertrude Stein

Alone, Human Beings, Like, Beings

Human beings are interested in two things. They are interested in the reality and interested in telling about it.

- Gertrude Stein

Human Beings, Telling, About, Beings

I rarely believe anything, because at the time of believing I am not really there to believe.

- Gertrude Stein

I Am, Believe, Because, Rarely

Before the flowers of friendship faded friendship faded.

- Gertrude Stein

Friendship, Flowers, Before, Faded

We are always the same age inside.

- Gertrude Stein

Age, Always, Same, Same Age

One does not get better but different and older and that is always a pleasure.

- Gertrude Stein

Better, Always, Does, Older

It is not what France gave you but what it did not take from you that was important.

- Gertrude Stein

Important, France, Take, Gave

War is never fatal but always lost. Always lost.

- Gertrude Stein

Lost, Never, Always, Fatal

The earth is the earth as a peasant sees it, the world is the world as a duchess sees it, and anyway a duchess would be nothing if the earth was not there as the peasant sees it.

- Gertrude Stein

World, Peasant, Would, Anyway

This is the lesson that history teaches: repetition.

- Gertrude Stein

History, Lesson, Teaches, Repetition

In France one must adapt oneself to the fragrance of a urinal.

- Gertrude Stein

Fragrance, France, Must, Adapt

The difference between saints, forget-me-nots, and mountains, have to, have to, have to at a time.

- Gertrude Stein

Time, Mountains, Difference, Saints

Generally speaking, everyone is more interesting doing nothing than doing anything.

- Gertrude Stein

Doing, Everyone, Speaking, Generally

It is the soothing thing about history that it does repeat itself.

- Gertrude Stein

History, Itself, Soothing, Repeat

Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose.

- Gertrude Stein

Rose

If you can do it then why do it?

- Gertrude Stein

You, Why, Then, You Can Do It

Disillusionment in living is finding that no one can really ever be agreeing with you completely in anything.

- Gertrude Stein

Living, Finding, Ever, Agreeing

Men cannot count, they do not know that two and two make four if women do not tell them so.

- Gertrude Stein

Men, Tell, Count, Four

America is my country and Paris is my hometown.

- Gertrude Stein

America, Country, Hometown, Paris

If you are looking down while you are walking it is better to walk up hill the ground is nearer.

- Gertrude Stein

Down, Better, While, Nearer

It is so friendly so simply friendly and though inevitable not a sadness and though occurring not a shock.

- Gertrude Stein

Inevitable, Friendly, Though, Shock

A writer should write with his eyes and a painter paint with his ears.

- Gertrude Stein

Art, Ears, Painter, Write

To write is to write is to write is to write is to write is to write is to write is to write.

- Gertrude Stein

Write

Silent gratitude isn't very much to anyone.

- Gertrude Stein

Gratitude, Silent, Very, Much

A real failure does not need an excuse. It is an end in itself.

- Gertrude Stein

Failure, Need, Itself, Excuse

History takes time. History makes memory.

- Gertrude Stein

History, Memory, Makes, Takes

The deepest thing in any one is the conviction of the bad luck that follows boasting.

- Gertrude Stein

Luck, Bad, Follows, Deepest

A diary means yes indeed.

- Gertrude Stein

Yes, Diary, Means, Indeed

Action and reaction are equal and opposite.

- Gertrude Stein

Reaction, Opposite, Equal, Action

One of the pleasant things those of us who write or paint do is to have the daily miracle. It does come.

- Gertrude Stein

Pleasant, Pleasant Things, Paint

There is no real reality to a really imagined life any more.

- Gertrude Stein

Reality, Real, More, Imagined

Let me listen to me and not to them.

- Gertrude Stein

Me, Them, Listen

Counting is the religion of this generation it is its hope and its salvation.

- Gertrude Stein

Generation, Salvation, Counting

Very likely education does not make very much difference.

- Gertrude Stein

Education, Very, Likely, Difference

There is a difference between twenty-nine and thirty. When you are twenty-nine it can be the beginning of everything. When you are thirty it can be the end of everything.

- Gertrude Stein

Beginning, End, Everything, Difference

You'll be old and you never lived, and you kind of feel silly to lie down and die and to never have lived, to have been a job chaser and never have lived.

- Gertrude Stein

Die, Old, Been, Silly

I have declared that patience is never more than patient. I too have declared, that I who am not patient am patient.

- Gertrude Stein

Patience, Never, Too, Patient

The thing that differentiates man from animals is money.

- Gertrude Stein

Money, Man, Thing, Animals

I do want to get rich but I never want to do what there is to do to get rich.

- Gertrude Stein

Never, Want, Get, Rich

I've been rich and I've been poor. It's better to be rich.

- Gertrude Stein

Better, Poor, Been, Rich

It is extraordinary that whole populations have no projects for the future, none at all. It certainly is extraordinary, but it is certainly true.

- Gertrude Stein

Future, Projects, Certainly, Extraordinary

Romance is everything.

- Gertrude Stein

Romantic, Everything, Romance

What is music. A passion for colonies not a love of country.

- Gertrude Stein

Love, Music, Country, Passion

In the United States there is more space where nobody is than where anybody is. That is what makes America what it is.

- Gertrude Stein

More, United, Anybody, United States

There is no such thing as being good to your wife.

- Gertrude Stein

Being, Your, Thing, Wife

An audience is always warming but it must never be necessary to your work.

- Gertrude Stein

Never, Always, Necessary, Audience

That is what war is and dancing it is forward and back, when one is out walking one wants not to go back the way they came but in dancing and in war it is forward and back.

- Gertrude Stein

Walking, Dancing, Go, Forward

It is always a mistake to be plain-spoken.

- Gertrude Stein

Always, Mistake

I think the reason I am important is that I know everything.

- Gertrude Stein

Think, Important, I Think, Reason

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