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The essential thing is to work in a state of mind that approaches prayer.
Henri Matisse
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote emphasizes the importance of a mindful and spiritual approach to work, akin to prayer.

Henri Matisse suggests that when we engage in our work, we should do so with a mindset that mirrors the reverence and focus associated with prayer. This notion encourages us to approach our creative or professional endeavors with intention, mindfulness, and a deeper connection to our purpose, making the work itself a form of spiritual expression.

Themes

WorkPrayerMindsetCreativityArt

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech at an art gallery opening, one could emphasize the importance of approaching creative work like Matisse suggests.

More from Henri Matisse

I've been forty years discovering that the queen of all colors is black.
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Whoever wishes to devote himself to painting should begin by cutting out his own tongue
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Purer colors... have in themselves, independently of the objects they serve to express, a significant action on the feelings of those who look at them.
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It is not enough to place colors, however beautiful, one beside the other; colors must also react on one another. Otherwise, you have cacophony.
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Color, even more than drawing, is a means of liberation.
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Don't try to be original. Be simple. Be good technically, and if there is something in you, it will come out.
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