Who said “Inscribe all human effort with one word, artistry's haunting curse, the Incomplete!”?

Verified

Robert Browning. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceThe Ring and the Book (1868-69), Book XI, line 1560

Find The Ring and the Book on Amazon · paid link

Evidence: Wikiquote · How we check

Source checked · Something wrong? Report a correction

Authors A–Z
“Inscribe all human effort with one word, artistry's haunting curse, the Incomplete!”
— Robert Browning
VerifiedThe Ring and the Book (1868-69), Book XI, line 1560 · evidenceEffort

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: The Ring and the Book (1868-69), Book XI, line 1560.

APA

Browning, R. (n.d.). Inscribe all human effort with one word, artistry's haunting curse, the Incomplete! [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/5604-inscribe-all-human-effort-with-one-word-artistrys/

MLA

Browning, Robert. “Inscribe all human effort with one word, artistry's haunting curse, the Incomplete!” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/5604-inscribe-all-human-effort-with-one-word-artistrys/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Browning, Robert. “Inscribe all human effort with one word, artistry's haunting curse, the Incomplete!” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/5604-inscribe-all-human-effort-with-one-word-artistrys/.

Related quotes

“Things don't turn up in this world until somebody turns them up.”
— James A. Garfield
VerifiedSpeech in the House of Representatives (June 1874), in The Life and Public Services of James A. Garfield (1881) by E. E. Brown, p. 437 · evidenceDetails & citeEffort
“The smallest effort is not lost. Each wavelet on the ocean tost aids in the ebb-tide or the flow; each rain-drop makes some floweret blow; each struggle lessens human woe.”
— Charles Mackay
Verified"The Old and the New" · evidenceDetails & citeEffort

More quotes by Robert Browning

All 40 Robert Browning quotes →