340 Quotes by Austin Kleon

This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal. I know the world is bruised and bleeding, and though it is important not to ignore its pain, it is also critical to refuse to succumb to its malevolence. Like failure, chaos contains information that can lead to knowledge – even wisdom. Like art.” – Toni Morrison.

Write the book you want to read.

The important thing is that you show your appreciation without expecting anything in return, and that you get new work out of the appreciation.

We don’t know where we get our ideas from. What we do know is that we do not get them from our laptops.” – John Cleese.

Neil Young sang, “It’s better to burn out than to fade away.” I say it’s better to burn slow and see your grandkids.

Creativity is subtraction.

Find a scenius, pay attention to what others are sharing, and then start taking note of what they’re not sharing.

The minute you learn something, turn around and teach it to others.

Writer David Foster Wallace said that he thought good nonfiction was a chance to “watch somebody reasonably bright but also reasonably average pay far closer attention and think at far more length about all sorts of different stuff than most of us have a chance to in our daily lives.” Amateurs fit the same bill: They’re just regular people who get obsessed by something and spend a ton of time thinking out loud about it.