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“One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words.”
― Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship
― Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship
“If you treat an individual as he is, he will remain how he is. But if you treat him as if he were what he ought to be and could be, he will become what he ought to be and could be.”
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“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.”
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“Daring ideas are like chessmen moved forward. They may be beaten, but they may start a winning game.”
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“As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.”
― Faust, First Part
― Faust, First Part
“We do not have to visit a madhouse to find disordered minds; our planet is the mental institution of the universe.”
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“I have possessed that heart, that noble soul, in whose presence I seemed to be more than I really was, because I was all that I could be.”
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“If I love you, what business is it of yours?”
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“A man sees in the world what he carries in his heart.”
― Faust, First Part
― Faust, First Part
“You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.”
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“The human race is a monotonous affair. Most people spend the greatest part of their time working in order to live, and what little freedom remains so fills them with fear that they seek out any and every means to be rid of it.”
― The Sorrows of Young Werther
― The Sorrows of Young Werther
“There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action.”
― Collected Works
― Collected Works
“If you've never eaten while crying you don t know what life tastes like.”
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“To think is easy. To act is hard. But the hardest thing in the world is to act in accordance with your thinking.”
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“Know thyself? If I knew myself, I'd run away.”
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“I bid the chords sweet music make,
And all must follow in my wake.”
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And all must follow in my wake.”
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“Niemand ist mehr Sklave, als der sich für frei hält, ohne es zu sein.
None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.”
― Elective Affinities
None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.”
― Elective Affinities
“Nothing shows a man's character more than what he laughs at.”
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“A person hears only what they understand.”
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“I have so much in me, and the feeling for her absorbs it all; I have so much, and without her it all comes to nothing.”
― The Sorrows of Young Werther
― The Sorrows of Young Werther
“By seeking and blundering we learn.”
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“Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.”
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“Magic is believing in yourself, if you can do that, you can make anything happen.”
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“The world is so empty if one thinks only of mountains, rivers & cities; but to know someone who thinks & feels with us, & who, though distant, is close to us in spirit, this makes the earth for us an inhabited garden.”
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“Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do.”
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“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.”
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“There is nothing worse than aggressive stupidity.”
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“Instruction does much, but encouragement everything."
(Letter to A.F. Oeser, Nov. 9, 1768)”
― Early and Miscellaneous Letters of J. W. Goethe: Including Letters to His Mother. With Notes and a Short Biography
(Letter to A.F. Oeser, Nov. 9, 1768)”
― Early and Miscellaneous Letters of J. W. Goethe: Including Letters to His Mother. With Notes and a Short Biography
“Every day one should at least hear one little song, read one good poem, see one fine painting and -- if at all possible -- speak a few sensible words.”
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“Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes.”
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