But I’m more interested in why people are frightened by Jaws and why Jaws was such a hit than saying Spielberg’s my main influence. – Damien Hirst
No, I don’t believe in genius. I believe in freedom. I think anyone can do it. Anyone can be like Rembrandt. – Damien Hirst
The idea of going on tour for the rest of my life with old works is not that exciting. As an artist I definitely think the work in future is going to be better than the work in the past, otherwise why do it? – Damien Hirst
I have always been aware that you have to get people listening before you can change their minds. Any artist’s big fear is being ignored, so if you get debate, that’s great. – Damien Hirst
I’ve been asked to do a retrospective since I was about 28 and I always thought that was a bit odd. It’s great to look forward as an artist because in the future the possibilities are infinite; you look back and it’s all fixed so it’s a scary thing. – Damien Hirst
Museums are for dead artists. I’d never show my work in the Tate. You’d never get me in that place. – Damien Hirst
Kids are naturally gifted at art from a very young age. The problem is when they get older and become self-conscious. The process should always be fun, though. – Damien Hirst
Most people live in the city and go to the country at the weekend, and that’s posh and aristocratic, but actually to live in the country and come to London when you can’t take it any more is different. – Damien Hirst
In an artwork you’re always looking for artistic decisions, so an ashtray is perfect. An ashtray has got life and death. – Damien Hirst
So smoking is the perfect way to commit suicide without actually dying. I smoke because it’s bad, it’s really simple. – Damien Hirst
It’s good to have a title that’s not just one word. If you’re gonna title it, you might as well try and say something. – Damien Hirst
Picasso, Michelangelo, possibly, might be verging on genius, but I don’t think a painter like Rembrandt is a genius. – Damien Hirst
‘Painting like a child’ isn’t a negative for me… it’s something only great artists can really achieve. The childlike quality of some of Picasso’s drawings is precisely what makes them so masterful and extraordinary; the ability to express complete visions, feelings and portraits through a continuous line. – Damien Hirst
But whenever I look at the question of how to live, the answer’s always staring me in the face. I’m already doing it. – Damien Hirst
I think art is good at looking back and looking forward. I don’t think art is good at looking head-on. At the end of the day, people are more important than paintings. – Damien Hirst
My Mum brought me up to believe that if you look after the pennies then the pounds look after themselves, and I could never do it. – Damien Hirst