TATTOO QUOTES III
quotations about tattoos
Like any other autobiographical art form, tattoos convey a kind of creative narcissism: the bearers of these images are often watching or creating other people in order to watch and create themselves.
KARIN BEELER
Tattoos, Desire and Violence: Marks of Resistance in Literature, Film and Television
A word to the wise, a tattoo is obviously for life, so make sure you've triple-checked for typos and spelling errors.
LUCY ALICE MORRIS
"11 Non-Ironic Ankle Tattoos That Will Make You Want To Be Bare Leg Always", The Debrief, June 11, 2017
You are only old enough to get a tattoo when you think tattoos are juvenile.
JOSEPH JULIUS BONKOWSKI, JR.
Quote Me
I'm never getting a tattoo. My secrets are etched safely on the inside and I intend to keep them there
LISA O'DONNELL
The Death of Bees
Tattoos are for grown-ups. That is why you have to be eighteen to get them. If your kid comes home with a tattoo from a tattoo parlor and he or she isn't eighteen, call the cops and throw the bastard who did it in jail.
LARRY WINGET
Your Kids Are Your Own Fault
The tattooed man has solidified his own skin and become that solid object; that permanent identity that all men in fear of the amorphous become.
DONALD RICHIE
attributed, Veils, Nudity, and Tattoos: The New Feminine Aesthetics
My finger travels the longest carved line on the face, the thickest welt, up that face. From the base of the jaw all the way up the cheek, stopping just short of the abalone shell eye. These lines cut into the wood are meant to mimic the ancient facial tattoos that marked these ancestors as men, as warriors, as worthy of carrying their lineage back into the place of death and yet forward into the place of tomorrow.
CHRIS ABANI
The Face: Cartography of the Void
Tattoos tell stories of crime and passion, punishment and regret. They express an outlaw, antiauthoritarian point of view and communicate a romantic solidarity among society's outcasts.
DOUGLAS KENT HALL
Prison Tattoos
I love how tattoos have the ability to spark conversation between people, even random strangers in line at the grocery store. It's those daily reminders and memories that keep us connected to others and ourselves.
CARISSA ALVARADO
"The Stories Behind My Tattoos", Wear I Am, October 11, 2017
My tattoos are a source of strength -- they crystalize what's important to me in life. I'm a big believer in the power of symbols and how they can hold meaning and memories.
ELENI STEFANOU
"Women With Tattoos", Things&Ink, February 8, 2017
Getting a tattoo is a nice way of reclaiming your own body, to help tell yourself that you're in charge.
ASHLEY LOVE
The Salt Lake Tribune, June 13, 2018
Show me someone with a skull and crossbones etched on his flesh, and I'll show you someone who doesn't go on a lot of job interviews.
AMY LINDEN
Spin Magazine, November 1986
Tattoos are synonymous with prison culture. However, their origin in the prison system is far from the status symbol they are today. For centuries, tattoos were used as a means of identification, and to mark the accused so that everyone who saw their ink would know they were and, many times, the nature of their crimes.
JOHN SWED
The Creative Tattoos
Tattoos tell the world we've still got something to say.
LIZ JONES
Daily Mail, June 17, 2017
People getting tattoos are often at a crossroads -- a chapter is ending or a new one is beginning.... All it is, is connecting.
MARK MAHONEY
"Meet the High Priest of Hollywood Tattoo Artists", Hollywood Reporter, May 22, 2017
Over 40 people watched in silence as this famous monk repeatedly penetrated my flesh like a sewing machine. His needle sent waves of hot searing pain into my back.... Would I do it again? Yes. Absolutely. I may get another one too. In fact, I've learned that the magic needs to be replenished each year with a fresh blessing by the monk. So I'll have to go back eventually one day anyway.
MATTHEW KARSTEN
"Blessed By A Monk: My Magic Sak Yant Tattoo", Expert Vagabond
The first thing to consider is content. Some people that think that tattoos need to have the secrets of the universe held within them, otherwise they're not meaningful enough to put on your body. I think that you can get anything you like, even if you just think it's pretty, as long as you're willing to have it on your body for the rest of your life.
CASSIDY CAMP
"3 Things to Consider Before Getting a Tattoo", Uloop, June 17, 2017
The last major consideration that should go into getting a tattoo is choosing an artist. If you're from a small town with only one tattoo shop, make a point of researching before making a decision on who you'll allow to make permanent alterations to your appearance. As I mentioned, I've got 3 tattoos, but I've been tattooed 5 times because 2 of my original tattoos were shoddy work, and they made me feel self-conscious. Luckily, I have an amazing artist now that is an expert at re-working old tattoos, but I wish that I would have done some research on the artists that I originally chose to save myself time and money.
CASSIDY CAMP
"3 Things to Consider Before Getting a Tattoo", Uloop, June 17, 2017
For me, a tattoo is an art installation that I get to wear all the time. It's all about self-expression. You get to wear your insides on your outsides.
MALIA JONES
"Our Favorite Tattoos Spotted at Tattoo Masquerade", 303 Magazine, June 6, 2017
Tattoos can denote the transition from childhood to young adulthood. It can denote the transition to reproductive availability or the transition from adolescent to warrior.
ANTHONY NAPOLEON
Awakening Beauty