Tradition is not a prison; it is a foundation.

A painter must see with the heart, not merely the eye.

The more you suffer the deeper grows your character, and with the deepening of your character you read the more penetratingly into the secrets of life.

-- D. T. Suzuki

The good, in a word, is the realization of personality.

-- Kitarō Nishida

For truly art lies hidden in nature; whoever can draw it out possesses it.

-- Albrecht Dürer

To paint a beautiful woman I would need to see many, but since beautiful women are scarce, I make use of a certain idea that comes to my mind.

-- Raphael

Painting is poetry that is seen and not heard, and poetry is painting that is heard and not seen.

-- Leonardo da Vinci

I saw an angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.

-- Michelangelo