It is only too true that a lot of artists are mentally ill- it's a life which, to put it mildly, makes one an outsider. I'm all right when I completely immerse myself in work, but I'll always remain half crazy.

It is not the language of painters but the language of nature which one should listen to. . . . The feeling for the things themselves, for reality, is more imp…

It is true that every day has its own evil, and its good too. But how difficult must life be, especially farther on when the evil of each day increases as far …

It is better to be high-spirited even though one makes more mistakes, than to be narrow-minded and all to prudent.

I come closer to my desk as to a bulwark against life.

For me, the work is an absolute necessity. I cannot put it off; I don't care for anything else; that is to say, the pleasure in something else ceases at once, …

I have drawn into myself so much that I literally do not see any other people anymore - excepting the peasants with whom I have direct contact, since I paint t…