Michelangelo Buonarroti

"The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection."

"I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free."

"Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it."

"The sculpture is already complete within the marble block, before I start my work."

"I have nothing to declare except my genius."

"If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn't seem so wonderful at all."

"Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish."

"The mind of man is capable of anything."

"Carving is easy, you just go down until you feel like you're going to die."

"I am still learning."

"The act of creation is just as important as the art itself."

"Talent is a flame. Genius is a fire."

"To create a life that reflects your values, you must begin to choose your thoughts carefully."

"The human figure is the best vehicle for expressing the spirited energy I hope to convey."

"I challenge myself, and I push myself to do better work."

"Beauty is the purgation of superfluities."

"I realized that if I did not write fiction, nobody would read my essays on the art of fiction."

"The perfection of form and beauty is contained in the human body."

"Effort and good will are presumed to have their effect with God."

"I am my own muse. I am the subject I know best. The subject I want to know better."

"The marble not yet carved can hold the form of every thought the greatest artist has."

"There is no greater thing than the human form."

"The true work of an artist is to express what is beautiful in the soul."

"I paint my own reality."

"It is the mind that creates the world around us."

"The works must be created between my heart and hands."

"In every concealment there is also a disclosure."

"A man paints with his brains and not with his hands."

"The art of life is in the constant readjustment to our surroundings."

"I cannot hide my talent even if I wanted to."