Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Quotes
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The spirit from which we act is the principal matter.
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One of the most striking signs of the decay of art is the intermixing of different genres.
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If we meet someone who owes us a debt of gratitude, we remember the fact at once. How often we can meet someone to whom we owe a debt of gratitude without thinking about it at all!
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Three things are to be looked to in a building: that it stand on the right spot; that it be securely founded; that it be successfully executed.
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Alles ist einfacher, als man denken kann, zugleich verschränkter, als zu begreifen ist.
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It matters little whether a man be mathematically or philologically or artistically cultivated, so he be but cultivated.
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In the end we retain from our studies only that which we practically apply.
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You really only know when you know little. Doubt grows with knowledge.
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Art is long, life short, judgment difficult, opportunity transient. To act is easy, to think is hard; to act according to our thought is troublesome. Every beginning is cheerful: the threshold is the place of expectation.
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Wer fremde Sprachen nicht kennt, weiß nichts von seiner eigenen.
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A talent is formed in stillness, a character in the world's torrent.
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Die Liebe herrscht nicht, aber sie bildet; und das ist mehr!
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Yes, I have finally arrived to this Capital of the World! I now see all the dreams of my youth coming to life... Only in Rome is it possible to understand Rome.
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A man is really alive only when he delights in the good-will of others.
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When young, one is confident to be able to build palaces for mankind, but when the time comes one has one's hands full just to be able to remove their trash.
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Mehr Licht!
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When one is polite in German, one lies.
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The man with insight enough to admit his limitations comes nearest to perfection.
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We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise, we harden.
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A joy shared is a joy doubled.
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The one who always strives, That one can be redeemed.
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There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots, the other, wings.
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Of all peoples, the Greeks have dreamt the dream of life best.
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To the world you might be one person, but to one person, you might be the world. Kindness is the golden chain by which our world is bound together.