"To paint a beautiful woman, I must see many beautiful women, and then I must choose the best parts of all of them and combine them into one figure."

"The artist must be a master of his craft, but also a master of himself."

"I have no desire to make a fortune; I only desire to make a work of art."

"Time is a vindictive bandit to steal the beauty of our former selves. We are left with sagging, rippled flesh and burning gums with empty sockets."

"I give thanks to God that I was born in the time of Michelangelo."