Ai Weiwei Quotes - Page 7

The rest of the world understands little about China's changes and the possibilities and crises that come with them.

Democracy, material wealth, and universal education are the soil upon which modernism exists.

Had I to create a name for these times, I’d say it is the age of craziness

A society is healthy only when it allows its members to discuss their thoughts openly. This is also the only way that a society can gather consensus, let everyone express his or her wish, and foster creativity.

I hope that my work expresses my worldview and encourages people to exchange ideas.

This week, the world gathers in Beijing for the 2008 Olympic games. This is the extraordinary moment China has been dreaming of for 100 years. People have been longing for this moment, because it symbolises a turning point in China's relationship with the outside world.

Life is art. Art is life. I never separate it.

Dictatorship is a story about death of others who turn out to be you coincidently.

...photographs are facts, but not necessarily true... The present always surpasses the past, and the future will not care about today.

It [success] is really by mistake.

I don't think I was very structured in that society and I don't really believe in personal success, which most Americans believe in.

I don't like China. Even today, I still feel I have no emotional relations with this place.

Any design, any city, any kind of craziness or tragedy, it all comes from a long time of preparation.

I don't think China has professional museums - not in the past, present, or near future.

New York has given me a lot, but I still don't consider it home.

After I came back [to China], there was still a long period of time when I felt I had nothing to do.

To give a price to an artwork, no matter how high or low, is always absurd. It's not something that can be measured by money or by certain numbers.

I also doubt a man can give really clear reasons for anything.

Selling high or low doesn't mean anything. It has to do purely with the market.

I don't think [price] reflects if the work is good or bad.A good artist shouldn't be nervous about that.

Maybe [success] is because I'm in China and I'm more open. Maybe it's my independent behavior, or because I participated in certain projects. I have no idea.

I don't believe in a sense of home.

Hopefully, other successes aren't like me. It carries much more meaning to other people; my success story is irrelevant. It doesn't make any sense.

Just look at the statistics: Each university has tens of thousands of applications for students who want to be in art school, but they can only accept a few hundred.

Each year, more people want to become artists.