Robert Mapplethorpe

“I am obsessed with beauty. I want everything to be perfect, and of course it isn't. And that's a tough place to be because you're never satisfied.”

“When I work, and in my art, I hold hands with God.”

“I always thought I was good. That's why it was so frustrating when other people didn't agree.”

“I'm looking for the unexpected. I'm looking for things I've never seen before.”

“I went into photography because it seemed like the perfect vehicle for commenting on the madness of today's existence.”

“I don't think any collector knows his true motivation.”

“My father wants me to be like my brother, but I can't be.”

“I am selfish, but that's an attribute that all artists possess.”

“The photographs that are art have to be separated from the rest - then preserved.”

“One must ease the public into it - that's an art in itself.”

“With photography, you zero in; you put a lot of energy into short moments, and then you go on to the next thing.”

“I just hope I can live long enough to see the fame.”

“My theory about creativity is that the more money one has, the more creative one can be.”

“I would never have done what I'd done if I'd considered my father as somebody I wanted to please.”

“I don't know why my pictures come out looking so good. I just don't get it.”

“I just want to be written about as a normal artist.”

“The more pictures you see, the better you are as a photographer.”

“When I have sex with someone I forget who I am. For a minute I even forget I'm human. It's the same thing when I'm behind a camera. I forget I exist.”

“To make pictures big is to make them more powerful.”

“You're never going to get anywhere in life if you don't live up to your obligations.”