“Imitation is not inspiration, and inspiration only can give birth to a work of art. The least of man's original emanation is better than the best of borrowed thought.”

“The artist should fear to become the slave of detail. He should strive to express his thought and not the surface of it. What avails a storm cloud accurate in form and color if the storm is not therein?”

“Who hath seen the Phantom Ship,Her lordly rise and lowly dip,Careering o'er the lonesome main,No port shall know her keel again...Ah, woe is in the awful sight,The sailor finds there eternal night,'Neath the waters he shall ever sleep,And Ocean will the secret keep”

“Works of art are not born in flashes of inspiration but in daily fidelity.”

“I believe in intuition and inspiration. Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution. It is, strictly speaking, a real factor in scientific research.”

“Arf. Arf.”

“I'm the only true artist Rome has known - the only one, believe me - to match his inspiration with his deeds.CHEREA: That's only a matter of having the power.CALIGULA: Quite true. Other artists create to compensate for their lack of power. I don't need to make a work of art; I live it.”