Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish.

The line frames ambition as a spiritual discipline: asking God not for ease or satisfaction, but for an ever-receding horizon of aspiration. Read in light of Michelangelo’s reputation for relentless self-critique and perfectionism, it suggests that creative greatness is fueled by a sense of insufficiency—an awareness that one’s ideals exceed one’s powers. The prayer also implies humility: the speaker acknowledges human limits while still seeking the grace to strive beyond them. In a broader Renaissance context, it resonates with the idea that artistic and moral excellence are pursued through continual effort rather than final attainment.