“To suffer without complaint is the only lesson we have to learn in this life”
Work
A classic text for art students everywhere, an edited selection of VVG's letters. * That Vincent van Gogh was one of the greatest painters in the history of European art is now generally accepted. That he was a man of high intelligence and tender affections these letters abundantly establish. By their directness and humility they bring us an intimate understanding of genius. To anyone interested in painting or in the mind of a creative artist they are indispensable. * But what makes them of supreme importance is their fascination for people who have, in the ordinary way, no particular interest in the arts. It is the human spirit, not the fame of the artist, that is the secret of their perennial attraction. * This selection by Professor Mark Roskill, who contributes an introduction and notes, also includes the memoir of van Gogh written by his sister-in-law.
Quotes
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Vincent van Gogh
Canonical work source
“To suffer without complaint is the only lesson we have to learn in this life”
“Don't lose heart if it's very difficult at times, everything will come out all right and nobody can in the beginning do as he wishes.”
“Seek only light and freedom and do not immerse yourself too deeply in the worldly mire.”
“The heart of man is very much like the sea, it has its storms, it has its tides and in its depths it has its pearls too”
“So instead of giving in to despair I chose active melancholy, in so far as I was capable of activity, in other words I chose the kind of melancholy that hopes, that strives and that seeks, i...”
“My great longing is to learn to make those very incorrectnesses, those deviations, remodellings, changes of reality, so that they may become, yes, untruth if you like - but more true than th...”
“To express the love of two lovers by the marriage of two complementary colours, their blending and their contrast, the mysterious vibrations of related tones. To express the thought of a bro...”
“And the memories of all we have loved stay and come back to us in the evening of our life. They are not dead but sleep, and it is well to gather a treasure of them.”