218 Quotes by Damien Hirst

Painting is so poetic, while sculpture is more logical and scientific and makes you worry about gravity.

Here's one from me: 'You have to be aware that everyone else is thinking far too hard about themselves to be thinking about you, whoever you are.' If you want it, you can have it. Once you know that, you can be free.

The goal in life is to be solid, whereas the way that life works is totally fluid, so you can never actually achieve that goal.

I wanted a shark that's big enough to eat you, and in a large enough amount of liquid so that you could imagine you were in there with it.

I was taught to confront things you can't avoid. Death is one of those things. To live in a society where you're trying not to look at it is stupid because looking at death throws us back into life with more vigour and energy. The fact that flowers don't last for ever makes them beautiful.

Sometimes when you're drunk you can see better.

But I could never make a judgement that something was obscene.

So smoking is the perfect way to commit suicide without actually dying. I smoke because it's bad, it's really simple.

Sensation is an element of what I do, and why not? It's not sensational for the sake of being sensational, but it's sensational art... It's like touching skin.