If you hear a voice within you say you cannot paint, then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced.

The saying frames self-doubt as an internal “voice” that gains power when obeyed and loses power when challenged through action. Its practical counsel is to treat creative insecurity not as evidence of incapacity but as a predictable companion to learning and risk. By insisting “by all means paint,” the line elevates practice over permission: the remedy for fear is doing the work, repeatedly, until confidence is built through experience. More broadly, it captures a modern ethic of self-overcoming—growth comes from confronting the very activity that triggers anxiety, rather than waiting for certainty or external validation.