"An artist who deceives himself is a fraud and a whore. You [cut off your payos] because you were ashamed. You did that because wearing payos did not fit your idea as an artist. Asher Lev, an artist is a person first. He is an individual. If there is no person, there is no artist. It is of no importance to me whether you wear your payos behind your ears or whether you cut off your hair entirely and go around bald...Great artists will not give a damn about your payos; they will only give a damn about your art...You want to cutt off your payos, go ahead. But do not do it because you think it will make you more acceptable as an artist."

-Chaim Potok, My Name is Asher Lev (pg. 257)