Go your own way quietly
Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh, from The Hague, 22-23 August 1883
I told him again that I was sorry I had not learned more about painting this year.
His answer was, “Oh, don't bother about that: in the first place, everybody has his own weak points - if he learns from somebody else, he often acquires his master's faults in addition to his own; go your own way quietly, without worrying about that.” Well, at heart I think exactly the same, except that I should think myself too conceited if I was not always ready to learn something from others. But it may be considered a piece of good luck if one can hear or learn something from somebody else this way. . . .
Last year Weissenbruch already said something like that to me - go your own way quietly, and in your old age, you will look back on your first studies with satisfaction.
Letter 317
Translation courtesy of Robert Harrison.
Back to The Way of Vincent: Making art no matter what
I told him again that I was sorry I had not learned more about painting this year.
His answer was, “Oh, don't bother about that: in the first place, everybody has his own weak points - if he learns from somebody else, he often acquires his master's faults in addition to his own; go your own way quietly, without worrying about that.” Well, at heart I think exactly the same, except that I should think myself too conceited if I was not always ready to learn something from others. But it may be considered a piece of good luck if one can hear or learn something from somebody else this way. . . .
Last year Weissenbruch already said something like that to me - go your own way quietly, and in your old age, you will look back on your first studies with satisfaction.
Letter 317
Translation courtesy of Robert Harrison.
Back to The Way of Vincent: Making art no matter what
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