Ai weiwei quotes

Creativity is part of human nature. It can only be untaught.

During the days in detention, I thought most about the moon.

The Internet has established a public sphere and developed a pressure which the government can no longer ignore.

I think by not letting young people be fully informed, how can they have energy and passion and the right picture of the world? I think that's the true crime.

The Internet is uncontrollable. And if the Internet is uncontrollable, freedom will win. It's as simple as that.

I came back [to Beijing ] because that's the only time I had an excuse to come back, or otherwise I would never have a reason to come back.

Maybe being powerful means to be fragile.

There are no outdoor sports as graceful as throwing stones at a dictatorship.

Your own acts tell the world who you are and what kind of society you think it should be.

I have to respect my life, and free expression is part of my life. I can never really silence myself.

Art should live in the heart of the people. Ordinary people should have the same ability to understand art as anybody else. I don't think art is elite or mysterious.

Self-censorship is insulting to the self. Timidity is a hopeless way forward.

The purpose of art is the fight for freedom.

I call on people to be 'obsessed citizens,' forever questioning and asking for accountability. That's the only chance we have today of a healthy and happy life.

Liberty is about our rights to question everything.

I’m an artist who is always looking for what is possible. I’m always looking to extend the boundaries.

Liberty is about the right to question everything.

Creativity is the power to reject the past, to change the status quo, and to seek new potential. Simply put, aside from using one's imagination - perhaps more importantly - creativity is the power to act.

When you have strict censorship of the internet, young students cannot receive a full education. Their view of the world is imbalanced. There can be no true discussion of the issues.

Chinese government is very clearly losing power in every aspect, but trying to fix up all the problems or potential problems.

What is important is that we actively express our thoughts and wishes, in every realm that we can access.

Creativity is the power to act.

I always want people to be confused, to be shocked or realize something later.

Through my work and ways of expression, I strive to engage in dialogue with the society that I am living in.

Stupidity can win for a moment, but it can never really succeed because the nature of humans is to seek freedom. Rulers can delay that freedom, but they cannot stop it.

It became like a symbolic thing, to be “an artist.” After Duchamp, I realized that being an artist is more about a lifestyle and attitude than producing some product.

I was in the most restricted prison in China, the most tough. The design of the prison is modeled for internal crimes of the Communist party, so it's like a mafia family's law. It's independent to the law this nation openly applies. It's the place they take you before they give you over to the judicial system. You stay there for a year or two and they make you really suffer to confess everything.

If you don’t act, the danger becomes stronger.

My definition of art has always been the same. It is about freedom of expression, a new way of communication. It is never about exhibiting in museums or about hanging it on the wall.

These are nonviolent people who have lost their freedom simply because they expressed their ideas….In truth, they are heroes of our time.

Behind every political deal in this country, the first casualties are always the ordinary people, who are barely treated as human.

Everyone thinks the Chinese government selected me. Never ever. I was selected by Herzog and de Meuron.

I think everybody deserves freedom. Freedom is such an abstract word, but it's all we need.

My definition of art has always been the same. It is about freedom of expression. I don’t think anybody can separate art from politics. The intention to separate [the two] is itself a very political intention.

I don’t want the next generation to fight the same fight as I did.

[Museums] all belongs to the cultural department, which is the biggest cultural department in the world.

People have a tendency to become elite rather than to care about the general conditions of the society, which makes me sick. It's an unbearable condition.

When human beings are scared and feel everything is exposed to the government, we will censor ourselves from free thinking. That's dangerous for human development.

Whenever there is injustice, there is tension. But in China it is very hard to release your anger unless you burn yourself or you jump from a bridge. In a society where there is no freedom of the press, it is difficult for victims to be noticed.

To call yourself a Chinese artist or woman artist or African artist reflects a certain kind of condition. To me, that is not necessary.

I think optimism is whether you are still exhilarated by life, whether you are curious, whether you still believe there is possibility.

I think of art as coming from daily life, daily experience. I think it's very important not to have it become work for some kind of elite circle.

A small act is worth a million thoughts.

In a society like this there is no negotiation, no discussion, except to tell you that power can crush you any time they want — not only you, your whole family and all people like you.

I have to find a place for my own. I have to search for my own happiness.

What counts in the end is what the government does.

I am very much interested in the so-called useless object. I mean, it takes perfect craftsmanship, beautiful material carefully measured and crafted, but at the same time it’s really useless.

Imagine one day, the hateful world around you collapses. And it is your attitude, words and actions that put an end to it. Will you be excited?

Being an artist is more of a mindset, a way of seeing things; it is no longer so much about producing something.

If there is no freedom of expression, then the beauty of life is lost. Participation in a society is not an artistic choice, it’s a human need.

No state or society can claim to have established human rights once and for all.

Everyone wants an iPhone, but it would be impossible to design an iPhone in China because it's not a product; it's an understanding of human nature.

Without freedom of speech, there is no modern world, just a barbaric one.

China restricts the society's freedom of speech. The Communist Party imposes these limits because it lacks confidence towards the future and has no ideals. Nowadays, China is experiencing the detrimental effects of such decisions. Its citizens have no creativity.

The American experience influenced my understanding of individuality, basic human rights, freedom of expression and the rights and responsibilities of citizens.

The IT people who have made such an effort to know and understand computer technology. They are frustrated that you cannot use Facebook, Twitter and YouTube in China. They are the first to recognize that the situation is terrible.

Once you've tasted freedom, it stays in your heart and no one can take it. Then, you can be more powerful than a whole country.

You can never know what is and what is not powerful, but you can always find out what the powerful people are scared of. A state like China looks so powerful, but they are so scared of the Internet, so the Internet is more powerful than them.

The art always wins. Anything can happen to me, but the art will stay.

The freedom of speech is an important yardstick for a society's level of civilization.

If my art has nothing to do with people's pain and sorrow, what is 'art' for?

I have people working together, doing different things: architecture, art installation, photography, publishing, and curatorial works and design.

Any individual can contribute its own belief. And our society or even our government are made by the people. The people would have the final voice, but it requires each individual to act. If we don't act, then the result is very clear. So for too long Americans take liberty as granted. We think we are in the safe hand, the democracy and the liberty, which is not true. And it can be even getting much worse than today.

The deadly weapon against totalitarian society is openness - doing everything very openly on the Internet, letting people know every detail, any little development. Once it is out there, everybody can make their own judgement. [Therefore] holding a trial outside the court. I think that is fairness, that is justice, that is a civil society. Otherwise call it an evil society because everything is hidden.

I want people to see their own power.

The Internet changes the structure of society all the time — this massiveness made of individuals.

To experience poetry is to see over and above reality. It is to discover that which is beyond the physical, to experience another life and another level of feeling. It is to wonder about the world, to understand the nature of people and, most importantly, to be shared with another, old or young, known or unknown.

Life is much more interesting when you make a little bit of effort.

The Internet is the best thing that ever happened to China. It turns us into individuals and also enables us to share our perceptions and feelings. It creates a culture of individualism and exchange even though the real society doesn't promote it. There isn't a single Chinese university that can invite me to give a talk. Even though I know there are many students who would like to hear what I have to say.

A nation that has no music and no fairytales is a tragedy.

If artists cannot speak up for human dignity or rights, then who else will do it?

The media is the message. It carries the full intention and the meaning. Once you change it...it's very disturbing.

This so-called contemporary art is not a form, but a philosophy of society.

I saw [Allen Ginsberg] more as an old man who liked poetry and who had a lot of physical and emotional problems. We liked our time together.

To express yourself needs a reason, but expressing yourself is the reason.

I loved New York — every inch of it. It was a little bit scary at that time, but still, the excitement was so strong — visually and intellectually. It was like a monster.

Say what you say plainly, and then take responsibility for it.

My definition of art has always been the same. It is about freedom of expression, a new way of communication. It is never about exhibiting in museums or about hanging it on the wall. Art should live in the heart of the people. Ordinary people should have the same ability to understand art as anybody else. I don’t think art is elite or mysterious. I don’t think anybody can separate art from politics. The intention to separate art from politics is itself a very political intention.

I think by shattering it we can create a new form, a new way to look at what is valuable — how we decide what is valuable.

I think it’s a responsibility for any artist to protect freedom of expression and to use any way to extend this power.

I wouldn’t say I’ve become more radical: I was born radical.

As a human being, member of society, you must clearly state your mind. It's a responsibility. It is the way you identify yourself otherwise you don't know who you are and why you are here.

I don't think my father had a direct influence on me, but I do think, more or less, I was influenced by his independent individualism. And the kind of condition he had when he was in this society - the kind of mistreatment society gave him.

We are living in a popular culture where everything is overexposed.

If we all say the same thing, then I think the government has to listen. But because no one is saying it, I become singled out, even though what I'm saying is common sense. It's very essential values that we all have to protect. But in Chinese society, people are giving up on protecting these values.

If there is no free speech, every single life has lived in vain

We should also leave behind discrimination, because it is narrow-minded and ignorant, denies contact and warmth; and corrodes mankind's belief that we can better ourselves. The only way to avoid misunderstanding, war and bloodshed is to defend freedom of expression and to communicate with sincerity, concern and good intentions.

I deal with students every day - from China, Germany, the United States, Hong Kong and Taiwan. And I've noticed that the Chinese students are the least trained in having a sense of aesthetics. They lack any ability to sense what is beautiful or what is proper. They can be learned and skillful, but they lack the ability to make their own free judgment. It is really sad to see young adults of 20, 25 years who were never taught to make their own decisions. People who can't do that don't get a sense of responsibility. And if you lack a sense of responsibility, you push the blame onto the system.

Technology is a liberation. I think the information age probably is the best thing to happen to the human race in human evolution. Now you have the equal opportunity to equip yourself through information and knowledge and express yourself as an independent mind.

The so-called culture nowadays is only a fake one with a superficial front. It is an empty lie.

My typical day is I wake up and appreciate that I can still wake up.

I think art certainly is the vehicle for us to develop any new ideas, to be creative, to extend our imagination, to change the current conditions.

The misconception of totalitarianism is that freedom can be imprisoned. This is not the case. When you constrain freedom, freedom will take flight and land on a windowsill.

I think you can give meaning to any condition; you can be poor or unsuccessful or be so-called successful. But I don't think that it would give an individual human being a better condition.

We move so fast that memory is something we can only grasp

By participating in the society we live in, we understand our conditions and the way we relate to the world.

For artists and intellectuals today, what is most needed is to be clear about social responsibility, because that is what most people automatically give up. Just to protect yourself as an individual is very political. You don't have to march on Tiananmen, but you do have to be clear-minded, to find your own means of expression.

Warhol influenced me because of his writing. If I had never read his writings and interviews, I would never have understood his work.

A nation like China has become one of the biggest production fields for exporting cheap labor, which also re-questions our history and past, re-questions human desire, and the human illusions of the past.

We have to give our opinion, we have to say something, or we are a part of it. As an artist I am forced to say something.

Politics is like air and water. And you know if there is bad politics. Everyone is polluted. Everyone is unhealthy. See the people walking on the street: how they act.

Everyone of us is a potential convict.

A historical property has morals and ethics of the society that created it and it can be revived. What I mean is that we can discover new possibilities from the process of dismantling, transforming, and recreating.

Everything is art. Everything is politics.

I think art is a very important weapon to achieve human freedom

I am everywhere and I am nowhere. That's the beauty of the Internet Age.

China didn't want to lose the cutting edge of technology. So the idea of having a Sina Weibo was an attempt to compete with Twitter. However, it has no soul - which is freedom of expression. Nevertheless, I think the government regrets having Sina Weibo, but they cannot shut it down. That would definitely be suicidal.

As a total activity - I practice curating, art, architecture, writing, and publishing all together. I still act as a living creature.

Today, the general masses in this society are in this political-social condition that really encourages people to become rich and become a star and be unique.

Life is art. Art is life. I never separate it. I don’t feel that much anger. I equally have a lot of joy.

You need a purpose to express yourself, but that expression is its own purpose.

For me, it is OK as long as I can breathe, as long as my heart is pumping, as long as I can express myself.

As a person, I was born to give out my opinions. By giving out my opinions, I realize who I am. As long as I can communicate, I'm not so lonely. If I cannot travel, or do art, or have company, if they take away all my belongings, it doesn't matter at all.

Choices after waking up: To be true or to lie? To take action or be brainwashed? To be free or be jailed?

It's really rubbish that some kind of "technical" learning means you will be a better person because you know this skill better.

Censorship is saying: "I'm the one who says the last sentence. Whatever you say, the conclusion is mine." But the internet is like a tree that is growing. The people will always have the last word – even if someone has a very weak, quiet voice. Such power will collapse because of a whisper.

The tragic reality of today is reflected in the true plight of our spiritual existence. We are spineless and cannot stand straight.

There are many cases and layers of racist behavior in the US - from police treatment to the issues of education and job opportunities. In America, however, such cases are being discussed publically.

The world is not changing if you don’t shoulder the burden of responsibility.

If human rights are supposed to have any meaning, then they have to be discussed openly.

I think my stance and my way of life is my most important art.

Every day I'm learning something new from the practice. It's very rewarding.

Life is never guaranteed to be safe, so we better use it while we are still in good condition.

Overturning police cars is a super-intense workout. It’s probably the only sport I enjoy.

If a nation cannot face its past, it has no future.