Whatever your field, it’s always lovely hearing pearls of wisdom from people who are real masters of their craft – and a few words in the right order can be the perfect boast of inspiration when you’ve hit a roadblock or need a lift.

Below you’ll find a list of beautiful quotes to motivate or make you think. While these quotes about pottery and ceramics don’t reveal the secrets of these masters, you may find a line or two that really resonate with you.

I think of life as a unity.This unity includes mountains, mice, rocks, trees, and women and men.It is all one lump of clay. – Ruth Duckworth

The best view is always from the mountain you’ve climbed. Art is a process. It’s expressing yourself and doing something, and throwing yourself into it and getting better at it and trying again. – Grayson Perry

To make pottery is an adventure to me, every new work is a new beginning – Lucie Rie

Try not to fuss and fiddle with your pots; you will only succeed in robbing them of their character – Phil Rogers

I aim to be at the same time both very serious and quite silly, simple and clever, adult and child. – Kate Malone

Pottery has its own language and inherent laws, and words have theirs, and neither can be bound by the other. – Bernard Leach

Rhythm is very important. – Karen Karnes

I try not to invoke emotions with representational imagery from my surrounding, but rather lead the viewer into their own. – Alison Britton

There’s a prayer that goes into digging the clay, there’s a prayer that goes into refining it.There’s a prayer for making the pots, and maybe two prayers for bringing them to the dealer. – Susan Peterson

My patterns are inspired by the form of the pots themselves. I like patterns that are a natural result of the pot’s shape. – Shio Kusaka

I hope these quotes have inspired you and provided a little insight into how some of the most accomplished potters out there approach their work. Thanks for reading!

If you’re curious about what I make, please take a look at my Valerie and John Ceramics shop.