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About this quote

What does it mean?
The artist expresses a desperate act and a hope that it is definitive.
In plain terms
He killed himself and hopes he succeeded.
What can you take from it?
Despair can lead to irreversible actions.

Where it applies

  • mental crisis
  • end of life
  • artistic suffering

Putting it to work

  • recognize warning signs
  • support struggling artists
  • discuss mental health

Questions to consider

  • What drives someone to such a point?
  • How do we support those in crisis?

Another view

This quote is a fragment and lacks full context of the event.

More from Vincent Van Gogh

  1. I put my heart and my soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process.

    Permalink to quote #45
  2. I want to do drawings which touch people...In figure or landscape I should wish to express, not sentimental melancholy, but serious sorrow.

    Permalink to quote #47
  3. I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day.

    Permalink to quote #44

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