It will be finished when I shall have done all that I believe… — Michelangelo · Smartyfair

It will be finished when I shall have done all that I believe required to satisfy Art.

Michelangelo1475–1564 · artist · 1400s-1500s ItalyMichelangelo was an Italian artist during the Renaissance who carved the famous statue of David out of marble when he was only 26 years old, and later spent four years painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.2 quotes

Source foundPerseveranceAncient

In plain words

He would not rush his work, not even for a pope.

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Where these words come from

How sure this is: 93% sureThese words were traced back to where they first appeared. That source is listed below.
What turned up: Recorded by Giorgio Vasari, Lives of the Artists (trans. Mrs. Jonathan Foster) — Michelangelo's answer when Pope Julius II demanded to know when the Sistine ceiling would be done.
Work: Vasari's Lives of the Artists (Michelangelo), trans. Mrs. Jonathan Foster
Occasion: 1510 · the Sistine Chapel, Rome · Pope Julius II presses Michelangelo to hurry the ceiling; he refuses to rush his standards
Sources checked: en.wikisource.orgChecked using claude-sonnet-5, 21 August 2026fetched twice, exact wording confirmed consistently both times

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