"He can who thinks he can, and he can't who thinks he can't. This is an inexorable, indisputable law"
About this Quote
Picasso’s “law” is a dare disguised as a proverb: the studio turned into a courtroom where doubt is convicted on sight. Coming from an artist who made a career out of breaking form, it’s less self-help than strategy. Picasso isn’t arguing that reality obeys your attitude; he’s insisting that the first material any creator works with is permission. Before there’s paint or clay, there’s the internal verdict about whether you’re allowed to attempt the thing at all.
The line’s blunt symmetry (“can”/“can’t,” mirrored like a cubist face) enacts its message. It doesn’t leave room for nuance because hesitation is the enemy it’s trying to starve. Calling it “inexorable” and “indisputable” is theatrical overreach on purpose: if you let yourself litigate every fear, you’ll never ship the work. The quote weaponizes certainty as a tool, not a truth claim.
Context matters. Picasso lived through modernity’s whiplash - two world wars, the churn of movements, the collapse of old academies. In that world, “talent” isn’t just a gift; it’s a posture. He watched artists become brands, rivals, and myths in real time, and he understood that audacity is often mistaken for genius because audacity produces output. Subtext: confidence is not a mood, it’s a method. The “law” isn’t physics; it’s a studio ethic meant to keep your hand moving when your mind starts negotiating surrender.
The line’s blunt symmetry (“can”/“can’t,” mirrored like a cubist face) enacts its message. It doesn’t leave room for nuance because hesitation is the enemy it’s trying to starve. Calling it “inexorable” and “indisputable” is theatrical overreach on purpose: if you let yourself litigate every fear, you’ll never ship the work. The quote weaponizes certainty as a tool, not a truth claim.
Context matters. Picasso lived through modernity’s whiplash - two world wars, the churn of movements, the collapse of old academies. In that world, “talent” isn’t just a gift; it’s a posture. He watched artists become brands, rivals, and myths in real time, and he understood that audacity is often mistaken for genius because audacity produces output. Subtext: confidence is not a mood, it’s a method. The “law” isn’t physics; it’s a studio ethic meant to keep your hand moving when your mind starts negotiating surrender.
Quote Details
| Topic | Motivational |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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