The more the marble wastes, the more the statue grows.
In plain words
Chipping away extra stone reveals the statue hiding inside. Like practice reveals your best self.
Where these words come from
- 87% sureThese words were traced back to where they first appeared. That source is listed below.
- Michelangelo's own sonnet addressed to Vittoria Colonna (their documented friendship/correspondence ran 1536-1547); tr. Mrs. Henry Roscoe in 'Vittoria Colonna: Her Life and Poems' (1868), p.169. Wikiquote's sourced Quotes section, named work + translator — primary poem text, not a compilation.
- Sonnet to Vittoria Colonna
- c. 1538-1547 · Rome · Michelangelo's own poem written for his close friend Vittoria Colonna, reflecting on carving marble
