Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Quotes
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Men's prejudices rest upon their character for the time being and cannot be overcome, as being part and parcel of themselves. Neither evidence nor common sense nor reason has the slightest influence upon them.
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The important thing is not to know more than all men, but to know more at each moment than any particular man.
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Time is a strange thing. It is a whimsical tyrant, which in every century has a different face for all that one says and does.
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Do not give in too much to feelings. A overly sensitive heart is an unhappy possession on this shaky earth.
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Most pioneers are at the mercy of doubt at the beginning, whether of their worth, of their theories, or of the whole enigmatic field in which they labour.
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The old lose one of the greatest privileges of man, for they are no longer judged by their contemporaries.
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Whoever makes it a rule to test action by thought, thought by action, cannot falter, and if he does, will soon find his way back to the right road.
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We rather confess our moral errors, faults, and crimes than our ignorance.
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Man is a simple being, and however rich, varied, and unfathomable he may be, the cycle of his situations is soon run through.
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Every day look at a beautiful picture, read a beautiful poem, listen to some beautiful music, and if possible, say some reasonable thing.
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What people call the spirit of the times is mostly their own spirit in which the times mirror themselves.
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A man must cling to the belief that the incomprehensible is comprehensible; otherwise he would not try to fathom it.
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Paternity is based anyhow only upon conviction: I am convinced, therefore, I am the father.
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Men are so inclined to content themselves with what is commonest; the spirit and the senses so easily grow dead to the impressions of the beautiful and perfect, that every one should study, by all methods, to nourish in his mind the faculty of feeling these things. ...For this reason, 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.
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So dear night the half of life is, And the fairest half indeed.
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We talk too much. We should talk less and draw more.
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Mastery is often taken for egotism.
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Tolerance comes of age. I see no fault committed that I myself could not have committed at some time or other.
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If you wish to know the mind of a man, listen to his words.
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At bottom, no real object is unpoetical, if the poet knows how to use it properly.
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Let there be truth between us.
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If I accept you as you are, I will make you worse; however, if I treat you as though you are what you are capable of becoming, I help you become that.
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Do the duty which lies nearest to thee.
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Don't dissipate your powers; strive to concentrate them. Genius thinks it can do whatever it sees others doing, but it will surely repent of every ill-judged outlay.