Irving Stone (born Tannenbaum, July 14, 1903 – August 26, 1989) was an American writer, chiefly known for his biographical novels of noted artists, politicians and intellectuals; among the best known are Lust for Life (1934), about the life of Vincent van Gogh, and The Agony and the Ecstasy (1961), about Michelangelo. (Click here for full Wikipedia article)
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All artists are crackpots. And it's their finest feature.
An artist without ideas is a mendicant; barren, he goes begging among the hours.
Art is a staple, like bread or wine or a warm coat in winter. Man's spirit grows hungry for art in the same way his stomach growls for food.
Art is amoral; so is life. For me there are no obscene pictures or books; there are only poorly conceived and poorly executed ones.
Being mad is even pleasant. But only a madman understands that.
Each of us has his own alphabet with which to create poetry.
How difficult it is to be simple.
I do not know a better cure for mental illness than a book.
I'm never less alone than when alone.
In order to paint life one must understand not only anatomy, but what people feel and thing about the world they live in. The painter who knows his own craft and nothing else will turn out to be a very superficial artist.
Knowing how to suffer without complaining is the only practical thing, it's the great science, the lesson to learn, the solution to the problem of life.
Life's not so bad after all. There are not only poison but also antidotes.
Morality is similar to religion- it is a somniferous drug which blinds people from seeing the squalor of their lives.
Pleasure is one of the most important things in life, as important as food or drink.
Talent is cheap; dedication is expensive. It will cost you your life.
There are no faster or firmer friendships than those between people who love the same books.
There's no love without pain.
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(July 14 is also the birthday of Woody Guthrie and Jerry Rubin.)
Categories: Irving Stone, Quotes of the day
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