5 Non-Photography Related Quotes Every Photographer Should Know…

I think there’s huge wisdom to be gained from reading quotes. That said, without much searching it’s extremely to find multiple well-known quotes which contradict each other hugely. One of my favorite things to do though is to do searches on quotations regarding topics I am interested in. Photography of course, is one of the main topics I look for. But, sometimes I find myself really peeved with the overly opinionated and self-righteous positions that I see some photographers taking. Sorry. It’s true! So, I’ve started doing searches for quotations on creativity, art, passion, adventure etc. It’s interesting to read statements which have been regarded above others over the years pertaining to such subjects. Here are 5 quotations that aren’t specifically related to photography that I think every photographer should know & consider.

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Many of life’s failures come from people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. - Thomas Edison

Success is the art of going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm. -Winston Churchill

If we wait for the moment when everything, absolutely everything is ready, we shall never begin. - Ivan Turgenev

Technical skill is mastery of complexity, while creativity is mastery of simplicity. - Erik Christopher Zeeman

Photography is such a subjective craft and the end goal so based at times on the opinions of others that, if you’re anything like me, it’s extremely easy to get knocked down. There have been many times that I’ve gone from extreme pride in the work I’ve produced to complete embarrassment that I would even hope to ever be as great of a photographer as some of my favorites. (All within about an hour…) I’ve been told that’s just part of the ‘creative process.’ It’s part of being an ‘artist.’ If that all is true, I find the above quotations to be extremely pertinent to a photographer’s quest to create & display their best possible work.