Winslow Homer Quotes

Powerful Winslow Homer for Daily Growth

About Winslow Homer

Winslow Homer (1836-1910) was an American painter and printmaker, widely regarded as one of the foremost figures in the history of American art. Born in Boston, Massachusetts on February 24, 1836, he demonstrated an early talent for drawing. At age 12, Homer worked as an apprentice at a lithography firm, where he honed his technical skills and developed a deep appreciation for printmaking. In 1857, Homer moved to New York City to pursue a career in illustration. His works appeared regularly in publications such as Harper's Weekly and The Atlantic Monthly. During the American Civil War, Homer served briefly as a war artist for the New York Tribune, producing notable images of the conflict. In 1873, Homer turned his attention to oil painting and moved to the coastal town of Cullercoats in England. His works during this period often depicted fishermen and seascapes, reflecting his fascination with marine life. Upon returning to the United States in 1874, he settled in Prouts Neck, Maine, where he spent the rest of his life. Homer's major works include "The Herring Net" (1883), which captures the harsh realities of fishing life; "Snap-the-Whipper" (1885), a charming depiction of a young boy at play; and "Breezing Up (A Fair Wind)" (1876), one of his most famous paintings, featuring a lively scene of a boat with billowing sails. Homer's art was characterized by its vivid realism and emotional depth, often reflecting the rugged beauty and raw emotion of life on the sea. He passed away in Prouts Neck on September 29, 1910, leaving behind an indelible legacy in American art. Notable quotes from Homer include: "Art is a lie that makes us see the truth" and "When you say things are rough, you will find they get rougher."

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"There is no doubt that music is the most abstract and the most powerful means of communication after all."

Winslow Homer's quote suggests a profound appreciation for the transcendent power of both art and music as forms of communication. He posits that beyond verbal or written language, they are two of the most abstract yet impactful ways to express thoughts, emotions, and ideas. This is because, like dreams or feelings, they can connect directly with our deepest senses and instincts, bypassing the need for explicit interpretation. In this way, art and music have an almost magical ability to resonate universally across cultures, time, and personal experiences.


"To do real good in this world, you must be a part of it, and not apart from it."

Winslow Homer's quote emphasizes the importance of active engagement with society to effect positive change, rather than detachment or isolation. It suggests that genuine impact can only come from understanding, participating in, and contributing to the world around us. This perspective highlights the need for empathy, collaboration, and action as integral components for making a meaningful difference in the world.


"One paints an ordinary thing extraordinarily well."

Winslow Homer's quote emphasizes the power of skillful representation in transforming common subjects into extraordinary works of art. By focusing on familiar objects or scenes and portraying them with exceptional detail, technique, and emotion, an artist can elevate the mundane to the remarkable, revealing hidden beauty and meaning. The ability to find and express this essence is a testament to artistic mastery and a celebration of the creative process.


"I have had to learn what I now know the hard way - by doing it myself."

This quote emphasizes self-reliance and personal experience as a primary source of knowledge and wisdom. Homer suggests that true understanding can only be gained through personal endeavor, trials, and mistakes – essentially, learning things "the hard way" by doing them oneself. It's an encouragement to trust one's own journey and efforts in life, recognizing that growth often comes from overcoming challenges and facing difficulties head-on.


"Art is really very simple, after all it's about putting a line here, a shape there."

Winslow Homer's quote emphasizes that art fundamentally boils down to two essential elements: lines and shapes. By strategically placing these elements, artists create visual compositions that evoke emotions, tell stories, or simply capture the beauty of their subject matter. This perspective underscores the simplicity yet profound impact of artistic expression, suggesting that with a deliberate and thoughtful approach to these basic building blocks, powerful works of art can be crafted.


Only once in the last thirty years have I made a duplicate, and that was a watercolor from my oil picture now owned by the Layton Art Gallery, Milwaukee, called 'Hark! the Lark.'

- Winslow Homer

Art, Last, Made, Milwaukee

With the duckets that I now have safe, I think I will retire at 66 years of age, praise God, in good health.

- Winslow Homer

Think, Will, I Think, Retire

Mr. C. Klackner has for sale four etchings etched by myself, at the expense of two years' time & hard work - 'The Life Line,' 'Peril on the Sea,' 'Eight Bells,' 'Mending Tears,' - all of which are very good and should have been put forward long ago, but C. Klackner is waiting for me to die, is my idea of the matter.

- Winslow Homer

Die, Been, Very, Mending

I decide to go direct to Key West... I know the place quite well, and it's near the points in Florida that I wish to visit. I have an idea at present of doing some work but do not know how long that will last.

- Winslow Homer

Doing, Some, Florida, Key

It is certainly a most tremendous and unprecedented honor and distinction that I have received from Pittsburgh. Let us hope that it is not too late in my case to be of value to American art in something that I may yet possibly do from this encouragement.

- Winslow Homer

Honor, Too Late, Distinction, Case

The slavery at Bufford's was too fresh in my recollection to let me care to bind myself again. From the time that I took my nose off that lithographic stone, I have had no master, and never shall have any.

- Winslow Homer

Myself, Nose, Took, Stone

I prefer every time a picture composed and painted outdoors.

- Winslow Homer

Prefer, Composed, Painted, Outdoors

Talent! There's no such thing as talent. What they call talent is nothing but the capacity for doing continuous hard work in the right way.

- Winslow Homer

Work, Doing, Nothing, Right Way

Do not think that I have stopped painting, for at any moment, I am liable to paint a good picture.

- Winslow Homer

Think, Paint, Stopped, Liable

I wouldn't go across the street to see a Bouguereau. His pictures look false; he does not get the truth of what he wishes to represent. His light is not outdoor light; his works are waxy and artificial. They are extremely near being frauds.

- Winslow Homer

Pictures, Works, Frauds, Represent

The sun will not rise or set without my notice, and thanks.

- Winslow Homer

Will, Thanks, Set, Notice

The life that I have chosen gives me my full hours of enjoyment for the balance of my life: the sun will not rise, or set, without my notice and thanks.

- Winslow Homer

My Life, Hours, Set, Notice

This making studies and then taking them home to use them is only half right. You get composition, but you lose freshness; you miss the subtle and, to the artist, the finer characteristics of the scene itself.

- Winslow Homer

Making, Characteristics, Freshness

Anything written or printed under a print or picture takes the attention from it and, if it is very black or white in any marked degree, will utterly destroy its beauty.

- Winslow Homer

Beauty, Very, Marked, Printed

When will you learn that the time to buy a thing is when you find what you want? If you go back the next year and try to get more, they will try to sell you something else.

- Winslow Homer

Learn, Will, Next, Next Year

A man is known by his works. That I have heard at many a funeral.

- Winslow Homer

His, Works, Known, Funeral

I do not care to put out any ideas for pictures. They are too valuable and can be appropriated by any art student, defrauding me out of a possible picture.

- Winslow Homer

Art, Ideas, Student, Valuable

I don't want a lot of people nosing round my studio and bothering me. I don't want to see them at all. Let the dealers have all that bother.

- Winslow Homer

Want, Bother, Studio, Dealers

Every condition must be favorable, or I do not work and will not.

- Winslow Homer

Work, Will, Condition, Favorable

You can't get along without a knowledge of the principles and rules governing the influence of one color upon another. A mechanic might as well try to get along without tools.

- Winslow Homer

Color, Might, Another, Governing

You will see - in the future, I will live by my watercolors.

- Winslow Homer

Future, Will, See, Watercolors

If a man wants to be an artist, he must never look at pictures.

- Winslow Homer

Artist, Never, Wants, Pictures

If you're searching for quotes on a different topic, feel free to browse our Topics page or explore a diverse collection of quotes from various Authors to find inspiration.