I can't live where I want to, I can't go where I want to go, I can't do what I want to, I can't even say what I want to. I decided I was a very stupid fool not to at least paint as I wanted to.
Georgia O'KeeffeRead
It's not enough to be nice in life. You've got to have nerve.
Interpretation
Being kind is important, but courage and assertiveness are also essential in life.
Georgia O'Keeffe's quote emphasizes that while being nice is a valuable trait, it is not sufficient on its own for success or fulfillment in life. The ability to take risks, stand up for oneself, and demonstrate bravery is crucial. This suggests that while kindness is admirable, it must be complemented by the courage to act decisively and boldly in various situations.
In practice
In a motivational speech about personal growth, one might reference this quote to encourage people to act boldly.
I can't live where I want to, I can't go where I want to go, I can't do what I want to, I can't even say what I want to. I decided I was a very stupid fool not to at least paint as I wanted to.
I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way - things I had no words for.
You are one of my nicest thoughts.
It was in the 1920s, when nobody had time to reflect, that I saw a still-life painting with a flower that was perfectly exquisite, but so small you really could not appreciate it.
Singing has always seemed to me the most perfect means of expression.
Objective painting is not good painting unless it is good in the abstract sense. A hill or tree cannot make a good painting just because it is a hill or tree. It is lines and colors put together so that they may say something.
If youβre told what to look for, you canβt see anything else.
O Lord that lends me life, Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness!
He that reads and grows no wiser seldom suspects his own deficiency, but complains of hard words and obscure sentences, and asks why books are written which cannot be understood.
Abundance, even of good things, prevents them from being valued
The flourishing life cannot be achieved until we moderate our desires and see how superficial and fleeting they are.
Have patience. Wait until the mud settles and the water is clear. Remain unmoving until right action arises by itself.
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