"Thinking should be done before and after, not during photographing. Success depends on the extent of one's general culture. One's set of values, one's clarity of mind one's vivacity. The thing to be feared most is the artificially contrived, the contrary to life."

"I’m not responsible for my photographs. Photography is not documentary, but intuition, a poetic experience. It’s drowing yourself , dissolving yourself, and then sniff, sniff, sniff – being sensitive to coincidence. You can’t go looking for it; you can’t want it, or you want get it. First you must lose your self. Then it happens."

Citações do Cartier-Bresson e de vários outros fotógrafos estão reunidas no site PhotoQuotes.