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

Motivation

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Thematic Reflection

This quotation examines the core nature of Motivation as articulated by Michelangelo. Within historical and literary traditions, reflections on Motivation provide actionable mental models, challenging individuals to evaluate personal ethics, self-discipline, and daily actions.

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About Michelangelo

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, known mononymously as Michelangelo, was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. He was born in the Republic of Florence but was mostly active in Rome from his 30s onwards. His work was inspired by models from classical antiquity and had a lasting influence on Western art. Michelangelo's creative abilities and mastery in a range of artistic arenas define him as an archetypal Renaissance man, along with his rival and elder contemporary, Leonardo da Vinci. Given the sheer volume of surviving correspondence, sketches, and reminiscences, Michelangelo is one of the best-documented artists of the 16th century. He was lauded by contemporary biographers as the most accomplished artist of his era.

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More by Michelangelo

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

— Michelangelo
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"From such a gentle thing, from such a fountain of all delight, my every pain is born."

— Michelangelo
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"Wisdom principle 34 tells us that the journey of life is lesson 48."

— Michelangelo
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More about Motivation

"I do want to try to put things in perspective today relative to the U.S.-Canada relationship. I would like to start by talking about how important this relationship is to the people of the United States."

— Paul Cellucci
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"Yeah, I try to be the best example I can be for young girls just as far as my person goes - just to uphold a good image."

— Miranda Lambert
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"What happened was very sad. Mr. Lacey told the staff that he was disappointed and appalled that the front of the book was all commentary and that he wanted hard news."

— Sydney Schanberg
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"Do not allow to slip away from you freedoms the people who came before you won with such hard knocks."

— David Herbert Lawrence
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