My 23 Most Popular Vincent Van Gogh Quotes

Bonjour les amis!

France is the country of culture, literature and art in general.

Many artists have found inspiration in our beautiful country.

I can’t resist sharing with you my personal selection of the most beautiful quotes or phrases by Vincent Van Gogh, the most French of dutch painters.

Enjoy these words my friends!

— Christine

Read Also : 39 French Love Quotes

Vincent Van Gogh quotes about love

“What is done in love is well done.”

Translation in English: “Ce qui est fait par amour est bien fait.”

“The more I think about it, the more I realize there is nothing more artistic than to love others.”

Translation in English: “Plus j’y pense, plus je réalise qu’il n’y a rien de plus artistique que d’aimer les autres.”

“Plus j’aime, plus je pense. Deux plus deux font parfois cinq.”

Translation in English: “The more I love, the more I think. Two plus two sometimes makes five.”

Vincent Van Gogh quotes about stars

“Je pense souvent que la nuit est plus vivante et plus colorée que le jour.”

Translation in English: “I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day.”

“Quand j’ai un besoin terrible de – dois-je dire le mot – religion. Alors je sors et je peins les étoiles.”

Translation in English: “When I have a terrible need of – shall I say the word – religion. Then I go out and paint the stars.”

“La vue des étoiles me fait toujours rêver.”

Translation in English: “The sight of the stars always makes me dream.”

Vincent Van Gogh quotes about things

Vincent van Gogh’s quotes often talk about the world and “things” in a more abstract sense, focusing on his emotions, his perspective on life, and his artistic process.

“Les grandes choses sont faites par une série de petites choses réunies.”

Translation in English: “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”

“Je mets mon cœur et mon âme dans mon travail, et j’ai perdu la tête dans le processus.”

Translation in English: “I put my heart and soul into my work, and I have lost my mind in the process.”

“Je cherche. Je m’efforce. J’y suis de tout mon cœur.”

Translation in English: “I am seeking. I am striving. I am in it with all my heart.”

Vincent Van Gogh quotes about Nature

Vincent van Gogh was deeply inspired by nature and it played a significant role in many of his works.

Here are my 3 favourite quotes from Van Gogh that touch on the theme of nature:

“Si vous aimez vraiment la nature, vous trouverez la beauté partout.”

Translation in English: “If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.”

“Je vis une période de clarté effrayante dans ces moments où la nature est si belle. Je ne suis plus sûr de moi, et les peintures apparaissent comme dans un rêve.”

Translation in English: “I experience a period of frightening clarity in those moments when nature is so beautiful. I am no longer sure of myself, and the paintings appear as in a dream.”

“La normalité est une route pavée: C’est confortable pour marcher, mais aucune fleur n’y pousse.”

Translation in English: “Normality is a paved road: It’s comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it.”

Vincent Van Gogh quotes About Sunflowers

Vincent van Gogh is well-known for his sunflower paintings even if he didn’t explicitly mention sunflowers in many of his written quotes.

But in his letters, particularly those to his brother Theo, he did mention his thoughts about his sunflower paintings.

Here are my favourite related excerpts:

“Le tournesol est à moi, en quelque sorte.”

Translation in English: “The sunflower is mine, in a way.”

“Je travaille dessus tous les matins dès le lever du soleil, car les fleurs se fanent si rapidement.”

Translation in English: “I am working at it every morning from sunrise on, for the flowers fade so quickly.”

Vincent Van Gogh quotes About art

Vincent van Gogh was passionate about his art and the process of creating. Here are my 3 quotes from him on the subject:

“Je rêve ma peinture et je peins mon rêve.”

Translation in English: “I dream my painting and I paint my dream.”

“L’art est là pour consoler ceux qui sont brisés par la vie.”

Translation in English: “Art is to console those who are broken by life.”

“Je sens qu’il n’y a rien de plus véritablement artistique que d’aimer les gens.”

Translation in English: “I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.”

Vincent Van Gogh quotes about books

Vincent Van Gogh was known too for his love for literature and it profoundly influenced his work.

From his letters, we can extract some quotes that reflect his affinity towards literature.

Here is my 3 favourite:

“Les livres, la réalité et l’art sont pour moi la même sorte de chose.”

Translation in English: “Books and reality and art are the same kind of thing for me.”

“J’ai une passion plus ou moins irrésistible pour les livres et le besoin constant de m’améliorer, d’étudier, de transporter mon esprit ailleurs.”

Translation in English: “I have a more or less irresistible passion for books and the constant need to improve, study, to take my mind somewhere else.”

“Je ne peux pas me passer de quelque chose de plus grand que moi, quelque chose qui est ma vie – le pouvoir de créer.”

Translation in English: “I can’t do without something greater than I, something that is my life – the power to create.”

Vincent Van Gogh quotes about painting

“Je rêve de peindre et ensuite je peins mon rêve.”

Translation in English: “I dream of painting and then I paint my dream.”

“La peinture est une foi, et elle impose le devoir de ne pas tenir compte de l’opinion publique.”

Translation in English: “Painting is a faith, and it imposes the duty to disregard public opinion.”

“Je fais toujours ce que je ne sais pas encore faire, pour apprendre comment le faire.”

Translation in English: “I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it.”

My personal podium

And to conclude, mes amis, I give you my own podium,

3 quotes that I know by heart and that sometimes guide my life and my choices.

“C’est en regardant longtemps les choses qu’on mûrit et qu’on leur donne un sens plus profond.”

Translation in English: “It is looking at things for a long time that ripens you and gives you a deeper meaning.”

“Que serait la vie si nous n’avions pas le courage de tenter quelque chose?”

Translation in English: “What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?”

“Je cherche, je m’efforce, je suis dedans de tout mon cœur.”

Translation in English:“I am seeking, I am striving, I am in it with all my heart.”

People also ask about Vincent Van Gogh quotes:

What was Van Gogh’s famous quote?

Van gogh’s famous quote is:

“I dream my painting and I paint my dream.”

This quote succinctly captures Van Gogh’s artistic philosophy.

It represents the close connection between his imagination and his artistic output, reflecting how he sought to realize his inner world through his paintings.

What are 5 famous quotes?

Here are 5 famous quotes and their author:

Albert Einstein (Physics):

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.”

Martin Luther King Jr. (Civil Rights):

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Oscar Wilde (Literature):

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”

Mahatma Gandhi (Social and Political Activism):

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”

Steve Jobs (Technology and Business):

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.“

Was Vincent Van Gogh French?

No, Vincent Van Gogh wasn’t french.

He was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter.