I cannot live under pressures from patrons, let alone paint.

Read the heart and not the letter for the pen cannot draw near the good intent.

Beauty depends on purpose. It is in the elements best suited to their purpose or aim that beauty shines forth most strongly.

Nature did all things well

Love is a beautiful image Imagined or seen within the heart, The friend of virtue and gentility.

Good painting is nothing else but a copy of the perfections of God and a reminder of His painting. Finally, good painting is a music and a melody which intellect only can appreciate, and with great difficulty.

When they asked Michelangelo how he made his statue of David he is reported to have said, "It is easy. You just chip away the stone that doesn't look like David.