Culture

10 brilliant quotes by Salvador Dalí

On January 23 1989, at 84 years of age Salvador Dalí left us with his legacy as one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century. Decades later, his surrealist paintings and zany personality still fascinate the world. In tribute to this true individual, Vogue Paris has chosen 10 of his most fantastical quotes.
Salvador Dalí
Portrait of artist Salvador Dali (1904-1989) standing in front of one of his paintings, circa 1950. (Photo via John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images)John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images

"Surrealism is myself."

"What’s the secret to success? Giving the right honey to the right fly at the right time and place."

“There are some days when I think I'm going to die from an overdose of satisfaction.”

“I do not understand why, when I ask for grilled lobster in a restaurant, I'm never served a cooked telephone.”

“The thermometer of success is merely the jealousy of the malcontents.”

“The best parties are those which you talk about but never go to.”

“Don’t fear perfection, you will never reach it.”

“He who knows how to taste does not drink wine but savors secrets.”

“The secret of my influence has always been that it remained secret.”

“The first man to compare the cheeks of a young woman to a rose was obviously a poet; the first to repeat it was possibly an idiot.”