If you feel dirty, insignificant or unloved, then rats are a good role model. They exist without permission, they have no respect for the hierarchy of society, and they have sex 50 times a day.
BanksyRead
If you want someone to be ignored then build a life-size bronze statue of them and stick it in the middle of town. It doesn't matter how great you were, it'll always take an unfunny drunk with climbing skills to make people notice you.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote humorously critiques how people are often overlooked despite their greatness unless they attract attention in unconventional ways.
Banksy's quote highlights the absurdity of how recognition works in society. It suggests that even significant accomplishments can be ignored until an unconventional or humorous act draws people’s attention. The statue symbolizes permanence and reverence, yet it ironically implies that without a unique or outrageous element, true acknowledgment may never come. Through this lens, Banksy critiques societal values regarding fame and the fleeting nature of public attention.
Themes
FameAttentionSocietyHumorRecognitionAbsurdity
In practice
Example use cases
A comedian may use this quote to illustrate the transient nature of fame in their routine.
More from Banksy
All quotes →T.V. has made going to the theatre seem pointless, photography has pretty much killed painting but graffiti has remained gloriously unspoilt by progress.
BanksyRead
I originally set out to try and save the world, but now I'm not sure I like it enough.
BanksyRead
Graffiti ultimately wins out over proper art because it becomes part of your city, it' s a tool; "I'll meet you in that pub, you know, the one opposite that wall with a picture of a monkey holding a chainsaw". I mean, how much more useful can a painting be than that?
BanksyRead
Think outside the box, collapse the box, and take a f**king sharp knife to it.
BanksyRead
Gaza is often described as 'the world's largest open air prison' because no-one is allowed to enter or leave. But that seems a bit unfair to prisons - they don’t have their electricity and drinking water cut off randomly almost every day.
BanksyRead
Similar quotes
Fly-fishing may be a very pleasant amusement; but angling or float fishing I can only compare to a stick and a string, with a worm at one end and a fool at the other.
Samuel JohnsonRead
A lot of sexism is just very silly... and the best response is laughter and ridicule.
Mary BeardRead
A Puritan is someone who is desperately afraid that, somewhere, someone might be having a good time.
H. L. MenckenRead
You know, I have found a new way to get high and stay spaced out for hours on end, and the government can't stop me... It's called senility.
Robert Anton WilsonRead
And all those exclamation marks, you notice? Five? A sure sign of someone who wears his underpants on his head.
Terry PratchettRead
If aliens are watching us through telescopes, they're going to think the dogs are the leaders of the planet. If you see two life forms, one of them's making a poop, the other one's carrying it for him, who would you assume is in charge?
Jerry SeinfeldRead