Explore Quotes by Robert Mapplethorpe

One must ease the public into it - that's an art in itself.

I can't have just anybody assisting me, I need somebody who I can really communicate with.

If I have to change my lifestyle, I don't want to live.

I am selfish, but that's an attribute that all artists possess.

I don't like that particular word 'shocking.' I'm looking for the unexpected. I'm looking for things I've never seen before … I was in a position to take those pictures. I felt an obligation to do them.

Beauty and the devil are the same thing.

I stand naked when I draw. God holds my hand and we sing together.

I am obsessed with beauty. I want everything to be perfect, and of course it isn’t. And that’s a tough place to be because you’re never satisfied.

I come from suburban America. It was a very safe environment and it was a good place to come from in that it was a good place to leave.

I was a Catholic boy, I went to church every Sunday. A church has a certain magic and mystery for a child. It still shows in how I arrange things. It's always little altars.

I'm looking for the unexpected. I'm looking for things I've never seen before.

I never liked photography. Not for the sake of photography. I like the object. I like the photographs when you hold them in your hand.

If a day goes by without my doing something related to photography, it's as though I've neglected something essential to my existence, as though I had forgotten to wake up.

People don't have time to wait for somebody to paint their portraits anymore. The money is in photography.

With photography, you zero in; you put a lot of energy into short moments, and then you go on to the next thing.

If I am at a party, I want to be at the party. Too many photographers use the camera to avoid participating in things. They become professional observers.

I don't think any collector knows his true motivation.

I always thought I was good. That's why it was so frustrating when other people didn't agree.

The more pictures you see, the better you are as a photographer.

You're never going to get anywhere in life if you don't live up to your obligations.

I went into photography because it seemed like the perfect vehicle for commenting on the madness of today's existence.