Robert Crumb Quotes

Powerful Robert Crumb for Daily Growth

About Robert Crumb

Robert Crumb, born on August 30, 1943, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is an influential American cartoonist, musician, and countercultural figure best known for his work in underground comics. Raised in a creative family that valued art and music, Crumb's formative years were spent in Cleveland, Ohio, where he was heavily influenced by comic books, jazz, and rock 'n' roll. After serving in the U.S Army from 1960 to 1963, Crumb relocated to San Francisco with his brother Charles, where they began creating the underground comic book "Zap Comix." This publication became a cornerstone of the counterculture movement, featuring Crumb's iconic characters such as Fritz the Cat and Mr. Natural. Crumb's work often explores themes of sexuality, psychedelia, and American pop culture with a distinctive, raw artistic style characterized by exaggerated figures and intricate detailing. His depictions of women, in particular, have been both celebrated and criticized for their caricatured and sometimes stereotypical portrayals. In the 1970s, Crumb moved to France with his wife Aline Kominsky-Crumb, where he continues to create comics and illustrations. His work has been exhibited in museums worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Centre Pompidou. Quotes by Robert Crumb: 1. "I'm just a man with a pencil and an overactive imagination." (2005) 2. "Comic books should not be held responsible for any crime committed by anyone, unless they actually depict the crime in detail." (1968) 3. "There's nothing like being a cartoonist to get you really into the details of life." (1972) 4. "I don't think there's any truth or reality in anything that you can draw; it's all just your own personal invention." (1990) 5. "There's something about drawing, there's something very therapeutic about it." (2006)

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"I always draw what I feel."

The quote by Robert Crumb, "I always draw what I feel," emphasizes the importance of emotion in artistic creation. It suggests that genuine art comes from an artist's emotional experiences rather than purely aesthetic considerations or external influences. This perspective encourages artists to tap into their personal feelings when creating, resulting in authentic and impactful works that resonate with viewers on a deeper level.


"The world is full of mystery and wonder, and I'm just trying to express that in my art."

This quote from Robert Crumb highlights his artistic perspective and philosophy. He views the world as a complex and enigmatic place filled with unexplored wonders, which he aims to capture and convey through his artwork. In essence, Crumb's art serves as a means of exploring the mysteries of life and expressing the sense of awe and curiosity that we all feel when confronted with the world's unknown aspects.


"I've always had a sort of fascination with the grotesque and the weird."

Robert Crumb's quote highlights his enduring interest in the unusual, bizarre, and unconventional aspects of life. This fascination is not merely a passing whim but rather a deeply ingrained curiosity that drives his artistic exploration and expression. The grotesque, the strange, and the peculiar offer him a unique lens through which to examine human nature, society, and the world at large, ultimately leading to thought-provoking and visually impactful works of art.


"Cartooning has given me a voice and a way to make people understand my point of view."

Robert Crumb, renowned cartoonist, asserts that cartooning provided him with an effective medium to express his thoughts and perspectives. Through visual storytelling, he was able to communicate complex ideas, emotions, and commentaries on society, engaging audiences in a unique and accessible manner. This quote underscores the power of art as a means for self-expression, enlightenment, and impactful discourse.


"I try to do work that has some kind of personal meaning for me, even if it's not necessarily something that everybody else understands or appreciates."

This quote by Robert Crumb emphasizes the importance of creating work that resonates personally, regardless of its universal appeal or understanding among others. It highlights an artist's unique voice and the value of authentic self-expression in the creative process. Ultimately, he is saying that his artwork holds significance to him, and this meaning transcends any external validation or recognition.


When I go back to America, after a few days I am once again filled with this kind of angry alienation and disgust with this thing there that America has got - you have no idea how pervasive it is there. The public relations and propaganda put out by the corporate mono-culture there is so pervasive.

- Robert Crumb

Back, Idea, Public Relations, Alienation

Killing yourself is a major commitment, it takes a kind of courage. Most people just lead lives of cowardly desperation. It's kinda half suicide where you just dull yourself with substances.

- Robert Crumb

Half, Substances, Lives, Kinda

I'm into old-time music; I'm not very interested in modern, popular music at all. And if I'm really into some particular old-time musician, some fiddler or banjo player, I'm always dying of curiosity to see what they look like. So there's some connection between visual images and music.

- Robert Crumb

See, Some, Very, Banjo

I knew I was weird by the time I was four. I knew I wasn't like other boys. I knew I was more fearful. I didn't like the rough and tumble most boys were into. I knew I was a sissy.

- Robert Crumb

Other, Rough, By The Time, Sissy

Oh, yes. I knew I was weird by the time I was four. I knew I wasn't like other boys. I knew I was more fearful. I didn't like the rough and tumble most boys were into. I knew I was a sissy.

- Robert Crumb

Other, Rough, By The Time, Sissy

Yeah, I was a child of American popular culture.

- Robert Crumb

Culture, American, Yeah, Popular Culture

I was raised Catholic and I went to church until I was 16. I went through a phase when I was 15 of being quite fanatically Catholic. I was going to church a lot, receiving communion, saying the Rosary, praying, all that stuff. But when I started scrutinizing it, it just fell apart so quickly.

- Robert Crumb

Church, Through, Communion, Rosary

I use the old Strathmore vellum surface paper, which is the best paper you can get in the Western world for ink line drawing. It has a good, hard surface.

- Robert Crumb

Surface, Use, Which, Western World

I have always had an abiding interest in that type of female anatomy.

- Robert Crumb

Interest, Always, Anatomy, Abide

I do covers for CDs and LPs of music that I like, reissues of old-time music, and then I'm inspired to make some kind of drawing based on this love of the music. I don't do album covers or CD covers for groups or musicians I don't like or have no interest in.

- Robert Crumb

Love, Musicians, Some, CDs

When I was younger, I just lived my life on paper. I didn't really live in the real world very much. As a consequence, I couldn't cope with the real world and real people very well. That in itself became life threatening, so I had to stop drawing so much and learn how to cope with people.

- Robert Crumb

My Life, Real People, Very, Cope

I always had a sketchbook with me when I was young. I was hiding behind it, basically, hiding behind drawing because I couldn't cope with people in real life; I was very shy and very nervous around people.

- Robert Crumb

Behind, Always, Very, Cope

Some things I won't do for any amount of money. Like for instance, there's a couple of CEOs of very large corporations that offered me lots of money to do special pictures for them. And I just refused to do that. Even if it was a million dollars I wouldn't do it.

- Robert Crumb

Some, Very, Couple, Million Dollars

There's many heroic underappreciated investigative journalists.

- Robert Crumb

Journalists, Heroic, Many, Investigative

I felt so painfully isolated that I vowed I would get revenge on the world by becoming a famous cartoonist.

- Robert Crumb

Revenge, Famous, Becoming, Vowed

With comics, you've got to develop some kind of shorthand. You can't make every drawing look like a detailed etching. The average reader actually doesn't want all that detail; it interferes with the flow of the reading process.

- Robert Crumb

Average, Some, Reader, Flow

The French hold onto their traditions. I was always so alienated in America. My work was this constant reaction to that.

- Robert Crumb

Reaction, Always, Constant, French

Throwaway pens are no good - I never liked them. I've tried them all.

- Robert Crumb

Never, Tried, Them, Pens

If you're trying to work the art game, if you're like Andy Warhol or something, then you're in with cake-eaters of society. You want to get in with them and please them and get their money.

- Robert Crumb

Art, Game, Warhol, None

In my midteens I went through a brief stage of religious fanaticism, but it was very much about just saying prayers and stuff like that, reciting rosaries and spending a lot of time on that kind of Catholic ritual.

- Robert Crumb

Through, Religious, Very, Prayers

I moved further and further away from mass entertainment. The sexual element became increasingly sinister and bizarre. Don't blame me! The bastards drove me to it! They all backed off after that!

- Robert Crumb

Away, Became, Increasingly, Element

Most of my adult life I had this towering contempt for America.

- Robert Crumb

Contempt, Most, Towering, Adult Life

The Bible was not written for entertainment purposes, so it's a real hodgepodge and a compendium of all kinds of stuff.

- Robert Crumb

Bible, Entertainment, Kinds, Purposes

Violence begets violence, and then you get leaders who are violent men. And you don't want that.

- Robert Crumb

Men, Get, Violent, Begets

When people say 'What are underground comics?' I think the best way you can define them is just the absolute freedom involved... we didn't have anyone standing over us.

- Robert Crumb

I Think, Best Way, Comics, Underground

Pictures have a lot more power than text. Text is just a bunch of little symbols. You have to actually read it and imagine it, and even that can be censored. With pictures, it's a lot more immediate.

- Robert Crumb

More, Imagine, Read, Censored

You don't have to be a Fundamentalist Christian to be interested in the Bible. It's really a fascinating mythology.

- Robert Crumb

Bible, Christian, Mythology

People still make me nervous, but gradually over the years I've developed kind of like a public personality, so I can talk. I have my spiel, I have my stories.

- Robert Crumb

Over, Still, Stories, Gradually

You can't make everybody love you. It's an exercise in futility, and it's probably not even a good idea to try.

- Robert Crumb

Love, Idea, Everybody, Futility

The work itself is what motivates me. I like my own stuff, you know? I like the way it looks. I do it to please myself first.

- Robert Crumb

Work, My Own, Like, Motivates

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