Damien Hirst

That's the great thing about art. Anybody can do it if you just believe. With practice, you can make great paintings. ”

Great art - or good art - is when you look at it, experience it and it stays in your mind. I don't think conceptual art and traditional art are all that different. ”

People don't like contemporary art, but all art starts life as contemporary - I can't really see a difference. ”

I think suicide is the most perfect thing you can do in life. ”

In an artwork you're always looking for artistic decisions, so an ashtray is perfect. An ashtray has got life and death. ”

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. ”

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. ”

A painting probably is the most shocking increase in value, from what it costs to make to what you sell it for. ”

You'd never look at a Rembrandt and say, 'That's just wood and canvas and paint - how much?!' It's all about how many people want it. It works on a pair of jeans as well - they're just material and stitching, and as soon as you walk out of the shop, they're worth nothing. ”

I always feel a bit trapped when a painting goes for millions of pounds and only one person can have it. If you can have that as well as a poster on every student's wall, then you're in a very enviable position. I'd like to do a Damien Hirst for £500 at some point. ”