Washington Allston
Washington Allston
Washington Allstonwas an American painter and poet, born in Waccamaw Parish, South Carolina. Allston pioneered America's Romantic movement of landscape painting. He was well known during his lifetime for his experiments with dramatic subject matter and his bold use of light and atmospheric color...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPainter
Date of Birth5 November 1779
CityGeorgetown, SC
CountryUnited States of America
believe men effort
All effort at originality must end either in the quaint or the monstrous. For no man knows himself as an original; he can only believe it on the report of others.
men idols faults
Make no man your idol, for the best man must have faults; and his faults will insensibly become yours, in addition to your own.
believe men excellence
I cannot believe that any man who deserved fame ever labored for it; that is, directly. For, as fame is but the contingent of excellence, it would be like an attempt to project a shadow, before its substance was obtained.
truth men spiders
If the whole world should agree to speak nothing but truth, what an abridgment it would make of speech! And what an unravelling there would be of the invisible webs which men, like so many spiders, now weave about each other!
men mind half
An original mind is rarely understood, until it has been reflected from some half-dozen congenial with it, so averse are men to admitting the true in an unusual form; whilst any novelty, however fantastic, however false, is greedily swallowed.
men vanity justice
Never expect justice from a vain man; if he has the negative magnanimity not to disparage you, it is the most you can expect.
men originality knows
No man knows himself as an original.
wise men competition
The only competition worthy of a wise man is with himself.
art doors genius
The Painter who seeks popularity in Art closes the door upon his own genius.
voters reputation popularity
Reputation is but a synonym of popularity: dependent on suffrage, to be increased or diminished at the will of the voters.
respect looks fit
He who has no pleasure in looking up, is not fit so much as to look down.
lying toads young
Nothing is rarer than a solitary lie; for lies breed like Surinam toads; you cannot tell one but out it comes with a hundred young ones on its back.
evil lazy delay
It is my greatest misfortune to be too lazy, and by the few mortifications I have already set with on that account I predict many evils in my future life. I have always the inclination to do what I ought; but by continually procrastinating for tomorrow the business of today, I insensibly delay, until at the end of one month I find myself in the same place as when I began it.
lying peculiar half
The most intangible, and therefore the worst, kind of a lie is a half truth. This is the peculiar device of a conscientious detractor.