Our graffiti quotes capture funny, insightful, and beautifully expressed ideas about graffiti.
They’re sure to captivate you.
Graffiti, as an art form, emerged from the hip-hop culture of the 1960s.
This culture, shaped by African, Caribbean, and Latino Americans in New York City, fostered new forms of expression like break dancing, DJing, emceeing, and graffiti art.
Originally, graffiti served as protest art in public spaces but has since evolved into a global form of collective self-expression, resonating with people worldwide.
Graffiti boasts numerous positive attributes:
– It’s a powerful mode of expression.
– It helps raise awareness.
– It can enhance the aesthetics of a building.
Banksy, a renowned artist, employs graffiti to address universal issues.
He once said, “Writing graffiti is about the most honest way you can be an artist.”
Unfortunately, some people wrongly associate graffiti solely with gangs.
However, while certain gangs may use graffiti, it’s unfair to stereotype all graffiti as gang-related.
Contents show
Cultural expression through graffiti
Graffiti artists use their art to highlight important social issues.
Famous graffiti artists include Jean-Michel Basquiat, Banksy, Lady Pink, Seen, and Keith Haring.
Explore our inspiring graffiti quotes for more creativity.
A Few Brief Quotes From Graffiti
These graffiti quotes are succinct and charming.
1. “If it takes more than 5 minutes, it’s not graffiti.”― Mint Serf
2. “Scars: the graffiti of violence.”― Jim Butcher
4. “Blank walls are a shared canvas and we’re all artists.”―Carla H Krueger
5. “I started as a graffiti artist in the South Bronx.” — Swizz Beatz
3. “A tattoo is graffiti on the temple of the body.”— Gordon B. Hinckley
7. “I didn’t have much of a life in crime as a graffiti writer.”— Ryan McGinley
6. “Graffiti is beautiful; like a brick in the face of a cop.”―Hunter S. Thompson
8. “Poetry is eternal graffiti written in the heart of everyone.”— Lawrence Ferlinghetti
9. “When you can’t think of anything else, photograph graffiti, nudes, or plants.”— Bill Jay
10. “Graffiti doesn’t exist unless someone got a photo because it’s gone immediately.”— Jeffrey Deitch
Graffiti Quotes On Artwork
These quotations argue the perspective that graffiti constitutes art.
11. “If Graffiti is art and art is a crime, then how come Picasso never done time?”— Melvin Glover
12. “I laugh at the way some people think graffiti is all selfish tagging and vandalism.”— Carla H. Krueger
13. “Everybody’s trying to leave their mark on the world. That’s why there’s graffiti and babies.”— Kristen Schaal
14. “One piece of graffiti doesn’t mean much. Forty pieces of graffiti might mean something. It’s all about connecting the dots.”— Kim Rossmo
15. “Graffiti writers will never stop. They’ll just evolve. It’s interesting what ideas people come up with and how it all extends forward.”— Ben Eine
16. “Some people are enraged, and some people are applauding. If there were a mission statement for graffiti, that would be it.”— Barry McGee
17. “Graffiti is something written on a wall, and, of course, art can be exhibited or produced anywhere: a wall is just another venue.”— Matthew Slotover
18. “Today I believe that man cannot escape his destiny to create whatever it is we make – jazz, a wooden spoon, or graffiti on the wall.”—Orson Welles
19. “Now everybody’s blogging’. I heard somebody say, “Blogging is just graffiti with punctuation.” Everyone’s an authority, so there’s nobody in power, ‘cause everyone thinks they’re in power.” — Ice T
20. “Environmental damage such as graffiti, fly-posting, and general littering is a menace that is becoming all too prevalent, not just in inner cities but in many communities – urban and rural.”— Margaret Beckett
Graffiti Quotes on Life
Consider life as a blank canvas, with these quotes inspiring you to craft your masterpiece.
21. “Obviously, murder and graffiti are two vastly different crimes.”— Rudy Giuliani
22. “Lawbreaking, graffiti artist, dumb jock that I am, I’m pretty socially conscious.”— Duff Goldman
23. “A group of ducks is a raft, and a cluster of crows is a murder, but what collection of birds is a gang? Probably geese. They are always engaging in lawlessness and doing graffiti.”― Jarod Kintz
24. “A digital sound sample in angryrapdoesn’t correspond to the graffiti but the wall.”— Jaron Lanier
25. “His achievements read like the graffiti on the walls of a hangman’s changing room.”— Jonathan Larson
26. “The thing about social media is that it is anonymous, so it can be much more vitriolic and extreme than normal media, and yet it is there for everyone to see. It is kind of like electronic graffiti.”— Tony Abbott
27. “Graffiti is a lot easier than the canvas because it’s such a large format, so when you’re going to such a thin detail, it’s not that thin in the realm of things because it’s such a big wall.” — Alec Monopoly
28. “After pop art, graffiti is probably the biggest art movement in recent history to have such an impact on culture.”— Jeffrey Deitch
29. “It’s strange with graffiti. You put a lot out, but you don’t get that much back because not many people know who’s doing it.”— KAWS
30. “All the work I did was to challenge politics, culture, and women’s rights. I felt like I wanted to break out. That’s why I wanted to use graffiti. It’s more open. I don’t need people to come to an exhibition. Graffiti gives a voice to the walls.” — MalinaSuliman
Banky’s Quotes From Graffiti
Take a look at these graffiti quotes by renowned artist Banksy.
31. “Writing graffiti is about the most honest way you can be an artist.”— Banksy
32. “Graffiti is one of the few tools you have if you have almost nothing.”— Banksy
33. “People say graffiti is ugly, irresponsible, and childish, but that’s only if it’s done properly.”— Banksy
34. “Graffiti ultimately wins out over proper art because it becomes part of your city; it’s a tool.”— Banksy
35. “Imagine a city where graffiti wasn’t illegal, a city where everybody could draw whatever they liked.”— Banksy
36. “I don’t think you should have to pay to look at graffiti. You should only pay if you want to get rid of it.”— Banksy
37. “Should graffiti be judged on the same level as modern art? Of course not: It’s way more important than that.”— Banksy
38. “Graffiti is only dangerous in the mind of three types of people; politicians, advertising executives, and graffiti writers.”— Banksy
39. “All graffiti is low-level dissent, but stencils have an extra history. They’ve been used to start revolutions and to stop wars.”— Banksy
40. “The people who run our cities don’t understand graffiti because they think nothing has the right to exist unless it makes a profit.”— Banksy
Graffiti Quotes Concerning Criminal Activity
Some believe graffiti is art, while others reduce it to vandalism.
These quotes question both sides.
41. “If today I was a graffiti, I would be one on a train that goes to the South of France.”―Alain Bremond-Torrent
42. “I like to leave little notes around as I have traveled. It’s like a semi-permanent graffiti for the soul.”― Owen D Hill
43. “But there’s no way around commercial success is a mark of failure for a graffiti artist. We’re not supposed to be embraced in that way.” — Banksy
44. “Is graffiti art or vandalism? That word has a lot of negative connotations, and it alienates people, so no, I don’t like to use the word ‘art’ at all.”— Banksy
45. “However, if he wanted to bust me, all he had to do was ask to see my schoolbooks. The front and back covers are the first place graffiti artists start to draw.” ― Drexel Deal
46. “Traditional graffiti writers have a bunch of rules they like to stick to, and good luck to them, but I didn’t become a graffiti artist so I could have somebody else tell me what to do.”— Banksy
47. “InAfghanistan, I was doing street art because it was more open, but when I had a show, only men would come. I said I’m an artist not only for men but for women too. So that’s why I like graffiti.”— Malina Suliman
48. “Across the street from the van was a board fence. Someone had spray-painted incomprehensible graffiti on it—could have been an ambigram for all she knew, legible upside-down as well as right-side-up.”― S.A. Hunt
49. “Remember, crime against property is not real crime. People look at an oil painting and admire the use of brushstrokes to convey meaning. People look at a graffiti painting and admire the use of a drainpipe to gain access.”— Banksy
50. “The difference between what we see and a sheet of white paper with a few thin lines on it is very great. Yet this abstraction is one which we seem to have adopted almost instinctively at an early stage in our development, not only in Neolithic graffiti but in early Egyptian drawings. And despite its abstract character, the outline is responsive to the least tremor of sensibility.” — Kenneth Clark
Summary
Discover the vibrant world of graffiti art on our website!
Explore inspiring quotes, delve into the cultural significance of graffiti, and learn about renowned artists like Banksy.
Unleash your creativity and see graffiti as the powerful art form it truly is.
Visit our website now to be inspired and engaged!
ALSO READ
- Naughty Quotes: Unleash Your Inner Wit and Charm
Dive Into Our January Quotes Wonderland: Winter Wisdom Unleashed
Margarita Quotes: Stirring Up Inspiration and Fun!
