"I've been asked a great deal about the influence I've had with my work and it's impossible to say, you know"

This quote by Ben Shahn speaks with the problem of examining one's own influence. He acknowledges that he has been asked a good deal about the effect of his work, however he is unable to address the question. This recommends that he is humble and knowledgeable about the trouble of properly examining one's own impact. It also suggests that he is not overly worried about the impact of his work, but rather is focused on the creative procedure itself. This quote talks to the value of focusing on the imaginative procedure and not stressing too much about the impact of one's work. It is a suggestion that the imaginative process is its own benefit which the impact of one's work is frequently difficult to determine.