Leon Battista Alberti's Self Portrait of a Universal Man tells a great deal about the individualistic ideals of the renaissance, as does Castiglione's The Courtier. Both of the pieces stress the fact that the human being has infinite potential, and that that should be taken advantage of. However, there are also a few differences between the pieces, however minute they are. In their writings, Leon Alberti and Baldassare Castiglione both show a great deal of understanding for the individualistic renaissance spirit.

Both of the pieces discuss the fact that people can be experienced in many fields and excel in all of them. In The Courtier, Castiglione expressed that all men should have a background in many subjects, and have a wide-ranging understanding of all of them. For example, Castiglione tells us that all men should be able to ride a horse, sing a song, write a song, be...