As when, O lady mine! With chiselled touch The stone unhewn and cold Becomes a living mould. The more the marble wastes, The more the statue grows.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Sculpting involves removing material to reveal the form hidden inside the stone.
- In plain terms
- As he chips away the marble, the statue becomes more defined and alive.
- What can you take from it?
- Creation often requires subtraction as much as addition.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What do you need to remove to grow?
- How does loss create value?
Another view
Not all processes work by simply removing parts.
More from Michelangelo Buonarroti
If you knew how much work went into it, you wouldn't call it genius.
Permalink to quote #6 Caro m' e 'l sonno, e piu l'esser di sasso, Mentre che 'l danno e la vergogna dura: Non veder, non sentir, m' e gran ventura; Pero non mi destar, deh! parla ba…
Permalink to quote #8 If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it would not seem so wonderful at all.
Permalink to quote #5
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