I choose a block of marble and chop off whatever I don’t need.

The line frames sculpture as an art of subtraction: the finished figure is imagined as latent within the raw stone, and the sculptor’s task is to remove what obscures it. It also works as a broader metaphor for creative practice—clarity and form emerge through disciplined elimination rather than accumulation. In Rodin’s case, the sentiment aligns with a long tradition (often associated with Michelangelo) that treats carving as “liberating” a form from marble, even though Rodin himself frequently modeled in clay and relied on assistants and casting processes. As a result, the quote is best read as an aphorism about artistic decision-making, not a literal description of Rodin’s usual working method.