Bob Ross

“There are thousands of very, very talented artists who will never be known, even after they are dead.”

“People see you on television, and they think you make the same amount of money that Clint Eastwood does. But this is PBS. All these shows are done for free.”

“Traditionally, art has been for the select few.”

“I really believe that if you practice enough you could paint the 'Mona Lisa' with a two-inch brush.”

“Most painters want recognition, especially by their peers.”

“If you learned how to make a cloud, your time is not wasted.”

“I believe, I believe every day is a good day when you paint.”

“I don't intimidate anyone. Instead, I try to get people to believe in themselves.”

“I don't intimidate anyone.”

“I never turn down requests for interviews. I'm just rarely asked.”

“We show people that anybody can paint a picture that they're proud of. It may never hang in the Smithsonian, but it will certainly be something that they'll hang in their home and be proud of. And that's what it's all about.”

“I was the guy who makes you scrub the latrine, the guy who makes you make your bed, the guy who screams at you for being late to work. The job requires you to be a mean, tough person. And I was fed up with it. I promised myself that if I ever got away from it, it wasn't going to be that way any more.”

“If you study my paintings, there are no signs of human life.”

“One of the questions that I hear over and over and over is, 'What do we do with all these paintings we do on television?' Most of these paintings are donated to PBS stations across the country. They auction them off, and they make a happy buck with 'em.”

“I stay hidden. I'm sort of hard to find.”

“Most painters want recognition, especially by their peers. I achieved that a long time ago with TV. I don't need any more.”

“There are no mistakes, only happy accidents.”

“Traditionally, art has been for the select few. We have been brainwashed to believe that Michelangelo had to pat you on the head at birth.”

“We get letters every day from people wanting more mountains. As many as I paint, they still say, 'Give me more mountains.'”

“Within one hour of touching the brush to canvas for the first time, my students have a total, complete painting.”