The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas Quotes

“She always says she dislikes the abnormal, it is so obvious. She says the normal is so much more simply complicated and interesting.”
― Gertrude Stein, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

“A little artist has all the tragic unhappiness and the sorrows of a great artist and he is not a great artist.”
― Gertrude Stein, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

“I like a view but I like to sit with my back turned to it.”
― Gertrude Stein, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

“I always say that you cannot tell what a picture really is or what an object really is until you dust it every day and you cannot tell what a book is until you type it or proof-read it. It then does something to you that only reading it never can do.”
― Gertrude Stein, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

“...they do quote me, that means that my words and my sentences get under their skins although they do no know it.”
― Gertrude Stein, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

“After a while I murmured to Picasso that I liked his portrait of Gertrude Stein. Yes, he said, everybody says that she does not look like it but that does not make any difference, she will, he said.”
― Gertrude Stein, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

“She says it is a good thing to have no sense of how it is done in the things that amuse you. You should have one absorbing occupation and as for the other things in life for full enjoyment you should only contemplate results. In this way you are bound to feel more about it than those who know a little of how it is done.”
― Gertrude Stein, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

“She always says that americans can understand spaniards. That they are the only two western nations that can realize abstraction. That in americans it expresses itself b disembodiedness, in literature and machinery, in Spain by ritual so abstract that it does not connect itself with anything but ritual.”
― Gertrude Stein, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

“One of the things that I have liked all these years is to be surrounded by people who know no english. It has left me more intensely alone with my eyes and my english. I do not know if it would have been possible to have english be so all in all to me otherwise. And they none of them could read a word I wrote, most of them did not even know that I did write. No, I like living with so very many people and being all alone with english and myself.”
― Gertrude Stein, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

“She answered him, there is nothing within you that fights itself and hitherto you have had the instinct to produce antagonism in others which stimulated you to attack.”
― Gertrude Stein, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

“[Haweis] did however plead for commas. Gertrude Stein said commas were unnecessary, the sense should be intrinsic and not have to be explained by commas and otherwise commas are only a sign that one should pause and take breath but one should know of oneself when one wanted to pause and take breath. However, as she liked Haweis very much and he had given her a delightful painting for a fan, she gave him two commas. It must however be added that on rereading the manuscript she took the commas out.”
― Gertrude Stein, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

“J'aime vivre au milieu de tant de gens et être si seule avec ma langue et moi-même.”
― Gertrude Stein, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

“یکبار از وُلار درباره‌ی تابلوی یکی از نقاشان پرسیدند، گفت فلانی سزانِ مجموعه‌دارهای فقیر هست. خب، والوتون هم مانه‌ی مجموعه‌دارانِ فقیر است.”
― Gertrude Stein, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

“همان‌طور که پابلو (پیکاسو) یکبار گفت، وقتی چیزی را خلق می‌کنی، خلق کردن آن به‌حدی پیچیده است که حکماً زشت خواهد شد، اما آن‌هایی که از تو تقلید می‌کنند مجبور نیستند نگرانِ خلق کردن آن باشند و می‌توانند آن را خوشگل بسازند، و بنابراین وقتی دیگران از کاری تقلید می‌کنند همه خوششان می‌آید.”
― Gertrude Stein, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

“The important thing, she insists, is that you must have deep down as the deepest thing in you a sense of equality. Then anybody will do anything for you.”
― Gertrude Stein, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

“The process of creation is a journey of self-discovery, revealing not just what we can do, but who we truly are. Through the act of creating, we explore and uncover aspects of ourselves that may not be apparent in our everyday lives.”
― Gertrude Stein, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

“In the long run, it is not who you know but what you do with what you know that makes a difference. Relationships and connections are important, but it is the application of knowledge and the actions you take that ultimately define your impact and success.”
― Gertrude Stein, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

“Art is not about creating something beautiful; it is about expressing something true. The value of art lies not in its aesthetic appeal, but in its ability to convey genuine emotion and insight. It is a reflection of the artist’s truth and their unique way of interpreting the world.”
― Gertrude Stein, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

“To be truly creative, you must be free from all constraints, and this freedom comes from being true to yourself. The essence of creativity lies in breaking away from conventions and expressing your innermost thoughts and feelings without fear of judgment.”
― Gertrude Stein, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

“Life is a very complicated thing. The trouble with life is that it is very complicated. It involves many facets and layers, and it is not something that can be easily understood or neatly categorized. The complexity of life requires a deep engagement and thoughtful reflection.”
― Gertrude Stein, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

“A work of art is not a thing but a way of looking at things. It is a method of expressing how you see the world. The creation itself is secondary to the vision behind it. What matters is not just the physical manifestation of art, but the perspective and insight that it brings to those who encounter it.”
― Gertrude Stein, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

“You will write if you will write without thinking of the result in terms of a result, but think of the writing in terms of discovery. The act of creation is not about achieving a specific outcome but about exploring the unknown, uncovering new truths, and experiencing the joy of finding something unexpected and beautiful.”
― Gertrude Stein, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

“The things that one remembers are important and the things that one forgets are equally important. Memory is selective and subjective, shaping our understanding of the past and influencing our actions in the present. What we choose to hold onto and what we let go of defines who we are.”
― Gertrude Stein, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

“Life is not real unless it is lived. To merely exist without engaging fully with the world around you, without embracing both the pain and the pleasure, is to miss the essence of what it means to be alive. Real life is experienced through action, through participation, through being present in each moment.”
― Gertrude Stein, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

“In the long run, it is not what you do for your children but what you have taught them to do for themselves that will make them successful human beings. Self-reliance and the ability to think critically are the greatest gifts you can give to them.”
― Gertrude Stein, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

“There is no such thing as repetition. Only insistence.”
― Gertrude Stein, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

“You look ridiculous if you dance. You look ridiculous if you don’t dance. So you might as well dance.”
― Gertrude Stein, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

“She always had a way of seeing through the surface of things, understanding people as they really were, not as they pretended to be.”
― Gertrude Stein, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

“It was then that I said, and realized, that it is not what France gave you but what it did not take away from you that was important.”
― Gertrude Stein, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

“No, she replied, you see I feel with my eyes and it does not make any difference to me what language I hear, I don’t hear a language, I hear tones of voice and rhythms, but with my eyes I see words and sentences and there is for me only one language and that is english.”
― Gertrude Stein, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas