I hope that I may always desire more than I can accomplish.

The line expresses an ethic of perpetual striving: the speaker wishes never to be fully satisfied with what is already within reach. Read in the context of artistic ambition, it frames “desire” as a productive restlessness—an inner standard that stays ahead of one’s current powers and achievements. Rather than celebrating frustration, it treats the gap between aspiration and accomplishment as the engine of growth, innovation, and humility. The sentiment also implies that completion is not the ultimate goal; the ongoing pursuit of higher aims is. Attributed to Michelangelo, it aligns with the Renaissance ideal of the artist as a lifelong learner, always reaching beyond mastery.