Life Has No Meaning Unless One

This quote is attributed to Gauguin without a specific primary source citation in most collections. The sentiment aligns with his documented belief that vocation required complete commitment and that a life of comfort and convention — including his own former career as a stockbroker in Paris — was incompatible with the pursuit of authentic art. After giving up his financial career in 1883 and subsequently abandoning his wife and five children, Gauguin endured decades of poverty, illness, and critical indifference, yet continued producing work with unwavering confidence in its importance.