Josiah Wedgwood

"The measure of a man's worth is found in the quality of what he leaves behind."

"In the firing of clay, all pretense is burned away."

"I am not interested in being fashionable; I am interested in being right."

"The artist who does not question his own work has ceased to be an artist."

"Nature provides the materials; humanity provides the meaning."

"To create is to participate in the immortality of human striving."

"I have found that the most beautiful things are often the most useful."

"The hands remember what the mind forgets; trust the hands."

"A life spent in the pursuit of beauty is a life well spent."

"I believe that taste can be educated, refined, and elevated through exposure to excellence."

"The potter's responsibility is not to impose his will on the clay but to discover its will."

"Every imperfection in nature is a perfection in art if properly understood."

"I have never met a problem that patience and good humor could not solve."

"The true measure of success is not wealth but the satisfaction of those who use what you create."

"To abandon tradition entirely is to cut oneself off from the wisdom of the ages."

"The workshop teaches what no school can teach: the marriage of idea and reality."

"I have always believed that beauty is a form of truth."

"The persistence of mediocrity is the greatest tragedy of human endeavor."

"In the end, what matters is not the glory but the goodness of what you have made."

"Every mistake is simply a lesson that wishes to be learned."

"The potter and the clay form a partnership, not a domination."

"I do not create for the market; I create for those who understand what I am attempting."

"Time is the only true measure of quality in any art form."

"The beauty of impermanence is that it teaches us the value of what we have."

"I am convinced that excellence is a habit, not a destination."

"The most important tool in any workshop is the willingness to fail."

"Nature is the greatest teacher; all else is merely interpretation."

"To make beautiful things is to add to the beauty of the world."

"I have spent my life proving that utility and beauty need not be strangers."

"The harmony in a well-made vessel reflects the harmony in the maker's soul."