Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Germany
28 Aug 1749 // 22 Mar 1832
Poet / Novelist / Humanist / Scientist / Philosopher
28 Aug 1749 // 22 Mar 1832
Poet / Novelist / Humanist / Scientist / Philosopher
Quotes
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Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do
Know thyself? If I knew myself I would run away
It seems to never occur to fools that merit and good fortune are closely united
It is the strange fate of man, that even in the greatest of evils the fear of the worst continues to haunt him
It is not doing the thing we like to do, but liking the thing we have to do, that makes life blessed
It is in self-limitation that a master first shows himself
It is better to be deceived by one's friends than to deceive them
In the realm of ideas everything depends on enthusiasm... in the real world all rests on perseverance
Ignorant men raise questions that wise men answered a thousand years ago
If you wish to know the mind of a man, listen to his words
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On Anger: "For every minute you remain angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind."
Essays
Essays
On Destiny: "Our destiny exercises its influence over us even when, as yet, we have not learned its nature: it is our future that lays down the law of our today."
Human, All Too Human
Human, All Too Human
On Friendship: "A crowd is not company; and faces are but a gallery of pictures; and talk but a tinkling cymbal, where there is no love."
Essays
Essays