Quote 1: “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”-Michelangelo

I choose this quote as my first because it reminds me of the trip my mom and I took to Italy last May. We traveled all over Italy, but nothing was as magnificent as standing in the Sistine Chapel. Never have I stood before artwork that drew tears from my eyes because of its magnificence. Enamored by the works of Michelangelo, it was hard for me to pull away and continue with the tour. When we visited the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, where you can find the tombstone of Michelangelo, I just stood in silence. If only I were alive in his time to witness Michelangelo creating such beauty. My advice to anyone that wishes to travel the beautiful country of Italy, don’t deny yourself  the opportunity to see the extraordinary originals of Michelangelo’s work.

Anyways, this quote resonates within me. It speaks to me like no other quote. When Michelangelo spoke these words he meant them literally, but in an insightful sense, he meant them figuratively. Michelangelo was a phenomenal Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, and engineer of the late 1400s, creating masterpieces such as the Statue of David, and the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo would chisel at chunks of marble creating breathtaking works of art. What amazes me is that Michelangelo viewed his sculpting as chiseling away the marble to discover the beauty that lies within.

The reason this quote speaks such volumes is because I believe each of us are chiseling away at the marble to find the beauty within. There is a beauty inside each and every one of us. There are goals, dreams, motivations, and aspirations. There are hopes, wants, desires, and needs. The marble in which we chisel is this funny thing called life, and the beauty within is the angel waiting to be set free in each of us. Each of us are on a quest to discover our true selves, but the only way to discover is to live; to carve at the marble until the angel is set free.