Who said “When looking at any significant work of art, remember that a more significant one…”?

Verified

Paul Klee. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceDiary entry (December 1904), # 583, in The Diaries of Paul Klee, 1898-1918; University of California Press, 1968

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Authors A–Z
“When looking at any significant work of art, remember that a more significant one probably has had to be sacrificed.”
— Paul Klee
VerifiedDiary entry (December 1904), # 583, in The Diaries of Paul Klee, 1898-1918; University of California Press, 1968 · evidenceSacrifice

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: Diary entry (December 1904), # 583, in The Diaries of Paul Klee, 1898-1918; University of California Press, 1968.

APA

Klee, P. (n.d.). When looking at any significant work of art, remember that a more significant one probably has had to be sacrificed. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/36448-when-looking-at-any-significant-work-of-art/

MLA

Klee, Paul. “When looking at any significant work of art, remember that a more significant one probably has had to be sacrificed.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/36448-when-looking-at-any-significant-work-of-art/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Klee, Paul. “When looking at any significant work of art, remember that a more significant one probably has had to be sacrificed.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/36448-when-looking-at-any-significant-work-of-art/.

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“The remarkable thing is that we really love our neighbor as ourselves: we do unto others as we do unto ourselves. We hate others when we hate ourselves. We are tolerant toward others when we tolerate ourselves. We forgive others when we forgive ourselves. We are prone to sacrifice others when we are ready to sacrifice ourselves.”
— Eric Hoffer
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More quotes by Paul Klee

“Nature is garrulous to the point of confusion, let the artist be truly taciturn.”
VerifiedDiary entry (Munich, 1909), # 857, in The Diaries of Paul Klee, 1898-1918; University of California Press, 1968, p. 236 · evidenceDetails & citeNature
“To emphasize only the beautiful seems to me to be like a mathematical system that only concerns itself with positive numbers.”
VerifiedDiary entry (March 1906), # 759, in The Diaries of Paul Klee, 1898-1918; University of California Press, 1968 · evidenceDetails & citeBeauty
“The art of mastering life is the prerequisite for all further forms of expression, whether they are paintings, sculptures, tragedies, or musical compositions.”
VerifiedDiary entry (3 June 1902), # 411, in The Diaries of Paul Klee, 1898-1918; University of California Press, 1968 · evidenceDetails & citeLife and Living
“Everything vanishes around me, and works are born as if out of the void. Ripe, graphic fruits fall off. My hand has become the obedient instrument of a remote will.”
VerifiedDiary entry (January/February 1918), # 1104, The Diaries of Paul Klee, 1898-1918 (p. 387) · evidenceDetails & citeCreativity
“In the final analysis, a drawing simply is no longer a drawing, no matter how self-sufficient its execution may be. It is a symbol, and the more profoundly the imaginary lines of projection meet higher dimensions, the better.”
VerifiedQuote (July 1905); from: Diari 1898-1918, 2012 (citato), paragrafo 660; as quoted by Francesco Mazzaferro, in 'The Diaries of Paul Klee Part Three', : 'Klee as a Secessionist and a Neo-Impressionist Artist' · evidenceDetails & citeDrawing
“One eye sees, the other feels.”
Vision
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