From his gentle voice to his patient teaching style, it was clear that Ross believed that everyone had the potential to be great. Whether it was through making art or doing anything else, Ross encouraged people to have faith in their abilities. Ross has remained a fixture in pop culture since his passing in 1995, and continues to remain a joyful and positive influence over many people in today’s society.
Here are the 50 Best Bob Ross quotes and famous sayings.
“We don’t make mistakes, just happy little accidents.” RELATED: 21 Alicia Keys Quotes On What Really Matters In Life
“You have to allow the paint to break to make it beautiful.”
“There’s nothing wrong with having a tree as a friend.”
“I started painting as a hobby when I was little. I didn’t know I had any talent. I believe talent is just a pursued interest. Anybody can do what I do.”
“You can do anything here — the only prerequisite is that it makes you happy.”
“We want happy paintings. Happy paintings. If you want sad things, watch the news.”
“I guess I’m a little weird. I like to talk to trees and animals. That’s okay though; I have more fun than most people.”
“I can’t think of anything more rewarding than being able to express yourself to others through painting. Exercising the imagination, experimenting with talents, being creative; these things, to me, are truly the windows to your soul.”
“Remember how free clouds are. They just lay around in the sky all day long.”
“Don’t forget to tell these special people in your life just how special they are to you.”
“I taught my son to paint mountains like these, and guess what? Now he paints the best darn mountains in the industry.”
“Every day is a good day when you paint.”
“We artists are a different breed of people. We’re a happy bunch.”
“That’s a crooked tree. We’ll send him to Washington.”
“Let’s build a happy little cloud. Let’s build some happy little trees.”
“You too can paint almighty pictures.”
“I think there’s an artist hidden at the bottom of every single one of us.”
“Gotta give him a friend. Like I always say, ‘Everyone needs a friend.’”
“However you think it should be, that’s exactly how it should be.”
“In painting, you have unlimited power. You have the ability to move mountains. You can bend rivers. But when I get home the only thing I have power over is the garbage.”
“The secret to doing anything is believing that you can do it. Anything that you believe you can do strong enough, you can do. Anything. As long as you believe.”
“It’s life. It’s interesting. It’s fun.”
“You can have anything you want in the world, once you help everyone around you get what they want.”
“I think each of us, sometime in our life, has wanted to paint a picture.”
RELATED: 41 Powerful Quotes From General Colin Powell On Leadership & Success 25. “There’s nothing in the world that breeds success like success.” 26. “Find freedom on this canvas.” 27. “It’s so important to do something every day that will make you happy.” 28. “We tell people sometimes: We’re like drug dealers, come into town and get everybody absolutely addicted to painting. It doesn’t take much to get you addicted.” 29. “They say everything looks better with odd numbers of things. But sometimes I put even numbers — just to upset the critics.” 30. “See how it fades right into nothing. That’s just what you’re looking for.”
“If I paint something, I don’t want to have to explain what it is.”
“Water’s like me. It’s lazy. Boy, it always looks for the easiest way to do things.”
“Just let go — and fall like a little waterfall.”
“Talk to the tree, make friends with it.”
“I really believe that if you practice enough you could paint the ‘Mona Lisa’ with a two-inch brush.”
“Be so very light. Be a gentle whisper.”
“Use absolutely no pressure. Just like an angel’s wing.”
“You need the dark in order to show the light.”
“You can do anything you want to do. This is your world.”
“You have to allow the paint to break to make it beautiful.”
“If we’re going to have animals around we all have to be concerned about them and take care of them.”
“We don’t laugh because we feel good, we feel good because we laugh.”
“Look around. Look at what we have. Beauty is everywhere — you only have to look to see it.”
“Ever make mistakes in life? Let’s make them birds. Yeah, they’re birds now.”
“Gotta have opposites, light and dark and dark and light, in painting. It’s like in life. Gotta have a little sadness once in a while so you know when the good times come.”
“I remember when my Dad told me as a kid, ‘If you want to catch a rabbit, stand behind a tree and make a noise like a carrot. Then when the rabbit comes by you grab him.’ Works pretty good until you try to figure out what kind of noise a carrot makes…”
“It’s hard to see things when you are too close. Take a step back and look.”
“You can have anything you want in the world — once you help everyone around you get what they want.”
“Anytime you learn, you gain.”
“Go out on a limb — that’s where the fruit is.” RELATED: 30 Star Quotes To Inspire You To Reach For The Stars & Shine Bright Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Follow her on Instagram.
