Damien Hirst

The difference between art about death and actual death is that one's a celebration and the other's a dull fact. ”

Since I was a child, death is definitely something that I think about every day. But I think that everybody does. You try and avoid it, but it's such a big thing that you can't. ”

It's amazing what you can do with an E in A-Level art, a twisted imagination and a chainsaw. ”

Museums are for dead artists. I'd never show my work in the Tate. You'd never get me in that place. ”

People always say that my work is sensational or shocking but there are truly shocking things you could do, and my sculptures don't go anywhere near that. ”

I always feel like the art's there and I just see it, so it's not really a lot of work. ”

A lot of people thought I wasn't doing anything because I was spending a lot of time socialising and going out, but I've always managed to get work actually done. ”

Making art, good art, is always a struggle. It can make you happy when you pull it off. There's no better feeling. It's beauteous. But it's always about hard work and inspiration and sweat and good ideas. ”

I've been asked to do a retrospective since I was about 28 and I always thought that was a bit odd. It's great to look forward as an artist because in the future the possibilities are infinite; you look back and it's all fixed so it's a scary thing. ”

But I think it's more that when you're young, you're invincible, you're immortal - or at least you think you are. The possibilities are limitless, you're inventing the future. Then you get older and suddenly you have a history. It's fixed. You can't change anything. I find that a bit disturbing, to be honest. ”