But after all I find in my work an echo of what struck me. I see that nature has told me something, has spoken to me, and that I have put it down in shorthand....

It always strikes me, and it is very peculiar, that, whenever we see the image of indescribable and unutterable desolation—of loneliness, poverty, and misery, the end and extreme of things—the thought of God comes into...

So what do you want? Does what happens inside show on the outside? There is such a great fire in one’s soul, and yet nobody ever comes to warm themselves there, and passersby see nothing...

I wish they would only take me as I am.

A good picture is equivalent to a good deed.

Conscience is a man’s compass.

How rich art is; if one can only remember what one has seen, one is never without food for thought or truly lonely, never alone.

In the end we shall have had enough of cynicism, skepticism and humbug, and we shall want to live more musically.

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.

Red Vineyard at Arles.

It is good to love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is well done.

A great fire burns within me, but no one stops to warm themselves at it, and passers-by only see a wisp of smoke

What a splendid thing watercolor is to express atmosphere and distance, so that the figure is surrounded by air and can breathe in it

Winning isn’t everything…it’s the only thing.

I’m able to get by very well in life, and also with my work, without beloved God. But I, a suffering human being, can not survive without there being something greater than myself, which for...

…and then, I have nature and art and poetry, and if that is not enough, what is enough?

I have tried to express the idea that the café is a place where one can ruin oneself, go mad, or commit a crime.

By working hard, old man, I hope to make something good one day. I haven’t yet, but I am pursuing it and fighting for it . . . .

A weaver who has to direct and to interweave a great many little threads has no time to philosophize about it, rather, he is so absorbed in his work that he doesn’t think, he acts:...

When I have a terrible need of – shall I say the word – religion. Then I go out and paint the stars.

I am not an adventurer by choice but by fate.

Let me stop there, but my God, how beautiful Shakespeare is, who else is as mysterious as he is; his language and method are like a brush trembling with excitement and ecstasy. But one must...

Do not quench your inspiration and your imagination; do not become the slave of your model.

I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people

There is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.

Both she and I have grief enough and trouble enough, but as for regrets – neither of us have any.

I experience a period of frightening clarity in those moments when nature is so beautiful. I am no longer sure of myself, and the paintings appear as in a dream

I have drawn into myself so much that I literally do not see any other people anymore– excepting the peasants with whom I have direct contact, since I paint them.

When we are working at a difficult task and strive after a good thing, we are fighting a righteous battle, the direct reward of which is that we are kept from much evil. As we...

For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me want to dream.

I often think of you all, one cannot do what one wants in life. The more you feel attached to a spot, the more ruthlessly you are compelled to leave it, but the memories remain,...

I consciously choose the dog’s path through life. I shall be poor; I shall be a painter…

It may be true that there is no God here, but there must be one not far off, and at such a moment one feels His presence; which comes to the same as saying (and...

I can’t change the fact that my paintings don’t sell. But the time will come when people will recognize that they are worth more than the value of the paints used in the picture.

…and then, I have nature and art and poetry, and if that is not enough, what is enough?

In would rather die of passion than of boredom.

It is not the language of painters but the language of nature which one should listen to… The feeling for the things themselves, for reality, is more important than the feeling for pictures.

I am still far from being what I want to be, but with God’s help I shall succeed.

Whoever loves much, performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is done well.

The sadness will last forever.

I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day.

There are things which we feel to be good and true, though in the cold light of reason and calculation many things remain incomprehensible and dark. And though the society in which we live considers...

I do not intend to spare myself, not to avoid emotions or difficulties. I don’t care much whether I live a longer or shorter time. the world concerns me only in so far as I...

I dream my painting and I paint my dream.

Be clearly aware of the stars and infinity on high. Then life seems almost enchanted after all.

The majority of (painters), because they aren’t colorists, do not see yellow, orange or sulphur in the South (of France) and they call a painter mad if he sees with eyes other than theirs

I am risking my life for my work, and half my reason has gone.

Perhaps it will seem to you that the sunshine is brighter and that everything has a new charm. At least, I believe this is always the result of a deep love, and it is a...