I didn't expect to recover ...

I didn't expect to recover from my second operation but since I did, I consider that I'm living on borrowed time. Every day that dawns is a gift to me and I take it in that way. I accept it gratefully without looking beyond it. I completely forget my physical suffering and all the unpleasantness of my present condition and I think only of the joy of seeing the sun rise once more and of being able to work a little bit, even under difficult conditions.
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 Henri Matisse

Quotes from the same author

The use of expressive colors is felt to be one of the basic elements of the modern mentality, an historical necessity, beyond choice.
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 Henri Matisse
What matters most to me? To work with my model until I have it enough in me to be able to improvise, to let my hand run free.
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 Henri Matisse
In the beginning you must subject yourself to the influence of nature. You must be able to walk firmly on the ground before you start walking on a tightrope.
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 Henri Matisse
There is no interruption between my older paintings and my cutouts. Just that with an increasing sense of the absolute, and more abstraction, I have achieved a form that is simplified to its essence.
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 Henri Matisse
Beauty comes from the balance between two and three dimensions, between abstraction and representation - I seek the equilibrium behind changing appearances.
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 Henri Matisse