"This isn't a watercolor, it's a mural"
About this Quote
The intent feels less like aesthetic nitpicking and more like a power move: a correction of expectations. Calling something a watercolor is often code for “keep it tasteful,” “keep it small,” “don’t embarrass anyone.” The retort insists on maximalism. Subtext: stop treating my ambition as a hobby; stop framing my emotions as a minor key. If you want to engage, you’ll have to stand back and take in the whole surface.
Segal, best known for Love Story, wrote in an era when mainstream literary sentimentality was both marketable and easy to dismiss as “light.” The line works as a meta-defense of bigness: of stories engineered to hit hard, to go wide, to be remembered in public. A mural isn’t subtle, but it can be civic. Segal’s phrase quietly argues that scale is a form of seriousness.
Quote Details
| Topic | Art |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Segal, Erich. (2026, January 17). This isn't a watercolor, it's a mural. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/this-isnt-a-watercolor-its-a-mural-57356/
Chicago Style
Segal, Erich. "This isn't a watercolor, it's a mural." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/this-isnt-a-watercolor-its-a-mural-57356/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"This isn't a watercolor, it's a mural." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/this-isnt-a-watercolor-its-a-mural-57356/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.









