Quotations

"The artist does not see both eyes alike. There is always 'the eye' and the other eye. It adds life and plasticity to the drawing if the eye in the light is darker than the one in the shadow."

— John French Sloan, American painter, born 1871

"When you draw a crowd of people in a street or room or landscape, decide whether you want to say that the people dominate the place or that the place is more important than the people."

— John French Sloan, American painter, born 1871

"I always think of shade as being full of light. That is why I like to use the word shade rather than light and shadow. Shade seems to play over the thing, envelop it, better define it, while shadow seems to fall on the thing and stain the surface with darks."

— ohn French Sloan, American painter, born 1871

"But where, after all, would be the poetry of the sea were there no wild waves?"

— Joshua Slocum, Canadian sailor, born 1844

"Remember, Lord, my ship is small and thy sea is so wide!"

— Joshua Slocum, Canadian sailor, born 1844

"I once knew a writer who, after saying beautiful things about the sea, passed through a Pacific hurricane, and he became a changed man."

— Joshua Slocum, Canadian sailor, born 1844

"To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover the prisoner was you."

— Lewis Smedes, Christian theologian, born 1921

"Do not confuse hate with anger. Hate is a sign that we are sick and need to be healed. Anger is a sign that we are alive and well. Healthy anger drives us to do something to change what makes us angry."

— Lewis Smedes, Christian theologian, born 1921

"Never let go of that fiery sadness called desire."

— Patti Smith, American singer, born 1946

"An artist is somebody who enters into competition with God."

— Patti Smith, American singer, born 1946

"For everything bad, there's a million really exciting things, whether it's someone puts out a really great book, there's a new movie, there's a new detective, the sky is unbelievably golden, or you have the best cup of coffee you ever had in your life."

— Patti Smith, American singer, born 1946

"The animals were behaving badly.
So the Gods decided to cover the entire Earth with a blanket, Blocking out the sun.
It was so dark, so dark.
Animals were afraid,
but the gods did not answer their prayers.
But then, this one brave little bird flew up to the sky,
faster and faster,
Her heart was beating so fast she thought it might burst.
But she just kept going.
Rebels heart
Will of steel
Eyes set on true North!
Until finally, she pierced the blanket with her peak,
and a tiny ray of light shone through.
The little bird flew back up,
again and again,
poking holes in the blanket,
defying the will of the gods.
But the gods were not mad.
The Gods were so moved by her courage,
they decided they were only going to cover the Earth for half of the day.
And, so this blanket,
full of these tiny holes,
became the night sky.
And that’s how the stars were formed."

— Sarah Adina Smith

"Never have I found the limits of the photographic potential. Every horizon, upon being reached, reveals another beckoning in the distance. Always, I am on the threshold."

— W. Eugene Smith, American photojournalist, born 1918

"My photographs at best hold only a small strength, but through them I would suggest and criticize and illuminate and try to give compassionate understanding. And through the passion given into my photographs (no matter how quiet) I would call out for a spiritualization that would create strength and healing and purpose, as teacher and surgeon and entertainer."

— W. Eugene Smith, American photojournalist, born 1918