Best quotes from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, critic, and amateur artist. His works include: four novels; epic and lyric poetry; prose and verse dramas; memoirs; an autobiography; literary and aesthetic criticism; and treatises on botany, anatomy, and colour. He is considered to be the greatest German literary figure of the modern era. Goethe’s first major scientific work, the Metamorphosis of Plants, was published after he returned from a 1788 tour of Italy.

Some of the best quotes from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe are listed below.

1. “A clever man commits no minor blunders.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
2. “A creation of importance can only be produced when its author isolates himself, it is a child of solitude.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
3. “A distracted existence leads us to no goal.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
4. “A great revolution is never the fault of the people, but of the government.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
5. “A judge who cannot punish, in the end associates themselves with the criminal.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
6. “A person can stand almost anything except a succession of ordinary days.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
7. “A person hears only what they understand.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
8. “A person is never happy till their vague strivings has itself marked out its proper limitations.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
9. “A person places themselves on a level with the ones they praise.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
10. “A purpose you impart is no longer your own.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
11. “A really great talent finds its happiness in execution.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
12. “All intelligent thoughts have already been thought; what is necessary is only to try to think them again.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
13. “All our knowledge is symbolic.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
14. “All the knowledge I possess everyone else can acquire, but my heart is all my own.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
15. “All theory, dear friend, is gray, but the golden tree of life springs ever green.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
16. “All truly wise thoughts have been thought already thousands of times; but to make them truly ours, we must think them over again honestly, till they take root in our personal experience.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
17. “Anecdotes and maxims are rich treasures to the man of the world, for he knows how to introduce the former at fit place in conversation.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
18. “As our inclinations, so our opinions.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
19. “At the moment of commitment, the universe conspires to assist you.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
20. “Austere perseverance, hash and continuous… rarely fails of its purpose, for its silent power grows irresistible greater with time.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
21. “Be above it! Make the world serve your purpose, but do not serve it.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
22. “Be generous with kindly words, especially about those who are absent.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
23. “Beauty is a manifestation of secret natural laws, which otherwise would have been hidden from us forever.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
24. “Beauty is a primeval phenomenon, which itself never makes its appearance, but the reflection of which is visible in a thousand different utterances of the creative mind, and is as various as nature herself.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
25. “Beauty is everywhere a welcome guest.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
26. “Because everyone uses language to talk, everyone thinks he can talk about language.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
27. “Behavior is the mirror in which everyone shows their image.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
28. “Beware of dissipating your powers; strive constantly to concentrate them. Genius thinks it can do whatever it sees others doing, but it is sure to repent every ill-judged outlay.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
29. “By seeking and blundering we learn.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
30. “Character develops itself in the stream of life.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
31. “Clever people are always the best conversations lexicon.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
32. “Common sense is the genius of humanity.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
33. “Confronted by outstanding merit, there is no way of saving one’s ego except by love.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
34. “Correction does much, but encouragement does more. Encouragement after censure is as the sun after a shower.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
35. “Courage and modesty are the most unequivocal of virtues, for they are of a kind that hypocrisy cannot imitate; they too have this quality in common, that they are expressed by the same color.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
36. “Daring ideas are like chessmen moved forward. They may be beaten, but they may start a winning game.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
37. “Destiny grants us our wishes, but in its own way, in order to give us something beyond our wishes.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
38. “Do not give in too much to feelings. A overly sensitive heart is an unhappy possession on this shaky earth.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
39. “Doubt can only be removed by action.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
40. “Doubt grows with knowledge.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
41. “Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
42. “Each ten years of a man’s life has its own fortunes, its own hopes, its own desires.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
43. “Enjoy what thou has inherited from thy sires if thou wouldn’t really possess it. What we employ and use is never an oppressive burden; what the moment brings forth, that only can it profit by.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
44. “Enjoy what you can, endure what you must.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
45. “Every author in some degree portrays himself in his works, even if it be against his will.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
46. “Every offense is avenged on earth.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
47. “Every person above the ordinary has a certain mission that they are called to fulfill.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
48. “Every second is of infinite value.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
49. “Every situation, every moment – is of infinite worth; for it is the representative of a whole eternity.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
50. “Every spoken word arouses our self-will.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
51. “Everything has been thought of before, but the problem is to think of it again.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
52. “Everywhere, we learn only from those whom we love.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
53. “Excellence is rarely found, more rarely valued.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
54. “Few are open to conviction, but the majority of men are open to persuasion.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
55. “First and last, what is demanded of genius is love of truth.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
56. “For a man to achieve all that is demanded of him he must regard himself as greater than he is.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
57. “For just when ideas fail, a word comes in to save the situation.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
58. “Freedom consists not in refusing to recognize anything above us, but in respecting something which is above us; for by respecting it, we raise ourselves to it, and, by our very acknowledgment, prove that we bear within ourselves what is higher, and are worthy to be on a level with it.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
59. “Fresh activity is the only means of overcoming adversity.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
60. “Girls we love for what they are; young men for what they promise to be.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
61. “Give me the benefit of your convictions, if you have any; but keep your doubts to yourself, for I have enough of my own.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
62. “Giving is the business of the rich.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
63. “Great endowments often announce themselves in youth in the form of singularity and awkwardness.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
64. “Hatred is active, and envy passive dislike; there is but one step from envy to hate.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
65. “Hatred is something peculiar. You will always find it strongest and most violent where there is the lowest degree of culture.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
66. “He is dead in this world who has no belief in another.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
67. “He is the happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
68. “He who does not expect a million readers should not write a line.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
69. “He who enjoys doing and enjoys what he has done is happy.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
70. “He who has a task to perform must know how to take sides, or he is quite unworthy of it.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
71. “He who is firm in will molds the world to himself.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
72. “He who moves not forward, goes backward.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
73. “How can we know ourselves? Never by reflection, but only through action. Begin at once to do your duty and immediately you will know what is inside you.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
74. “I can tell you, honest friend, what to believe: believe life; it teaches better than book or orator.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
75. “I do not speak of what I cannot praise.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
76. “I don’t know a greater advantage, than to appreciate the worth of an enemy.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
77. “I have found among my papers a sheet… in which I call architecture frozen music.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
78. “I know nothing more mocking than a devil that despairs.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
79. “I love those who yearn for the impossible.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
80. “I will not be as those who spend the day in complaining of headache, and the night in drinking the wine that gives it.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
81. “If a good person does you wrong, act as though you had not noticed it. They will make note of this and not remain in your debt long.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
82. “If any man wishes to write a clear style, let him first be clear in his thoughts.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
83. “If each one does their duty as an individual and if each one works in their own proper vocation, it will be right with the whole.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
84. “If God had wanted me otherwise, He would have created me otherwise.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
85. “If I love you, what business is it of yours?” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
86. “If the mass of people hesitate to act, strike with swiftly and with boldness, the brave heart that understands and seizes opportunity can everything.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
87. “If you have any faith, give me, for heaven’s sake, a share of it! Your doubts you may keep to yourself, for I have a plenty of my own.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
88. “If you modestly enjoy your fame you are not unworthy to rank with the holy.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
89. “If you must tell me your opinions, tell me what you believe in. I have plenty of doubts of my own.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
90. “If you treat an individual… as if he were what he ought to be and could be, he will become what he ought to be and could be.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
91. “If you want a wise answer, ask a reasonable question.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
92. “If youth is a fault, it is one which is soon corrected.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
93. “Ignorant men raise questions that wise men answered a thousand years ago.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
94. “In all things it is better to hope than to despair.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
95. “In art the best is good enough.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
96. “In comradeship is danger countered best.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
97. “In nature we never see anything isolated, but everything in connection with something else which is before it, beside it, under it and over it.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
98. “In the end we retain from our studies only that which we practically apply.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
99. “Individuality seems to be Nature’s whole aim – and she cares nothing for individuals.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
100. “Instruction does much, but encouragement does everything.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
101. “It is a mistake for a taciturn, serious-minded woman to marry a jovial man, but not for a serious-minded man to marry a lighthearted woman.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
102. “It is delivery that makes the orators success.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
103. “It is easier to perceive error than to find truth, for the former lies on the surface and is easily seen, while the latter lies in the depth, where few are willing to search for it.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
104. “It is in human nature to relax, when not compelled by personal advantage or disadvantage.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
105. “It is only in misery that we recognize the hand of God leading good men to good.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
106. “It is only necessary to grow old to become more charitable and even indulgent. I see no fault committed by others that I have not committed myself.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
107. “It is said, that no one is a hero to their butler. The reason is, that it requires a hero to recognize a hero. The butler, however, will probably know well how to estimate his equals.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
108. “It is the strange fate of man, that even in the greatest of evils the fear of the worst continues to haunt him.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
109. “It seems to never occur to fools that merit and good fortune are closely united.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
110. “I’ve studied now Philosophy and Jurisprudence, Medicine – and even, alas! Theology – from end to end with labor keen; and here, poor fool with all my lore I stand, no wiser than before.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
111. “Kindness is the golden chain by which society is bound together.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
112. “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
113. “Let everyone sweep in front of his own door, and the whole world will be clean.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
114. “Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
115. “Life is the childhood of our immortality.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
116. “Love and desire are the spirit’s wings to great deeds.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
117. “Love can do much, but duty more.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
118. “Love does not dominate; it cultivates.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
119. “Love is an ideal thing, marriage a real thing; a confusion of the real with the ideal never goes unpunished.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
120. “Magic is believing in yourself, if you can do that, you can make anything happen.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
121. “Man… knows only when he is satisfied and when he suffers, and only his sufferings and his satisfactions instruct him concerning himself, teach him what to seek and what to avoid. For the rest, man is a confused creature; he knows not whence he comes or whither he goes, he knows little of the world, and above all, he knows little of himself.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
122. “Man’s greatest achievement is astonishment.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
123. “Many people take no care of their money till they come nearly to the end of it, and others do just the same with their time.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
124. “Master and Doctor are my titles; for ten years now, without repose, I held my erudite recitals and led my pupils by the nose.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
125. “Mathematicians are like Frenchmen: whatever you say to them they translate into their own language and forthwith it is something entirely different.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
126. “Mediocrity has no greater consolation than in the thought that genius is not immortal.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
127. “Men are so constituted that everyone undertakes what he sees another successful in, whether he has aptitude for it or not.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
128. “Mountains cannot be surmounted except by winding paths.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
129. “My peace is gone, my heart is heavy.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
130. “My poor head is in such a whirl, my mind is all in bits.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
131. “Mysteries are not necessarily miracles.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
132. “Napoleon affords us an example of the danger of elevating one’s self to the absolute, and sacrificing everything to the carrying out of an idea.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
133. “Nature goes her own way and all that to us seems an exception is really according to order.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
134. “Nature has neither kernel nor shell; she is everything at once.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
135. “Nature knows no pause in progress and development, and attaches her curse on all inaction.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
136. “Nature understands no jesting. She is always true, always serious, always severe. She is always right, and the errors are always those of man.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
137. “Never by reflection, but only by doing is self-knowledge possible to one.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
138. “No one as ever completed their apprenticeship.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
139. “No one should be rich except those who understand it.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
140. “No one would talk much in society if they knew how often they misunderstood others.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
141. “No prudent antagonist thinks light of his adversaries.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
142. “No two men see the world exactly alike, and different temperaments will apply in different ways a principle that they both acknowledge. The same man will, indeed, often see and judge the same things differently on different occasions: early convictions must give way to more mature ones. Nevertheless, may not the opinions that a man holds and expresses withstand all trials, if he only remains true to himself and others?” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
143. “No wise combatant underestimates their antagonist.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
144. “Not the maker of plans and promises, but rather the one who offers faithful service in small matters. This is the person who is most likely to achieve what is good and lasting.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
145. “Nothing is more terrible than to see ignorance in action.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
146. “Nothing is to be rated higher than the value of the day.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
147. “Nothing is true, but that which is simple.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
148. “Nothing shows a man’s character more than what he laughs at.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
149. “On the pinnacle of success man does not stand firm long.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
150. “One always has time enough, if one will apply it well.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
151. “One can be instructed in society, one is inspired only in solitude.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
152. “One must ask children and birds how cherries and strawberries taste.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
153. “One never goes further than when they do not know where they are going.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
154. “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.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
155. “One that does not think to highly of himself is more than he thinks.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
156. “Only by joy and sorrow does a person know anything about themselves and their destiny. They learn what to do and what to avoid.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
157. “Only law can give us freedom.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
158. “Only learn to seize good fortune, for good fortune is always here.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
159. “Oral delivery aims at persuasion and making the listener believe they are converted. Few persons are capable of being convinced; the majority allow themselves to be persuaded.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
160. “Our friends show us what we can do; our enemies teach us what we must do.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
161. “Our passion are the true phoenixes; when the old one is burnt out, a new one rises from its ashes.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
162. “Passions are vices or virtues to their highest powers.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
163. “People are so constituted that everybody would rather undertake what they see others do, whether they have an aptitude for it or not.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
164. “People have a peculiar pleasure in making converts, that is, in causing others to enjoy what they enjoy, thus finding their own likeness represented and reflected back to them.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
165. “People may live as much retired from the world as they like, but sooner or later they find themselves debtor or creditor to someone.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
166. “People should talk less and draw more. Personally, I would like to renounce speech altogether and, like organic nature, communicate everything I have to say visually.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
167. “Personality is everything in art and poetry.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
168. “Progress has not followed a straight ascending line, but a spiral with rhythms of progress and retrogression, of evolution and dissolution.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
169. “Rejoice that you have still have a long time to live, before the thought comes to you that there is nothing more in the world to see.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
170. “Rest not. Life is sweeping by; go and dare before you die. Something mighty and sublime, leave behind to conquer time.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
171. “Science has been seriously retarded by the study of what is not worth knowing and of what is not knowable.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
172. “Secrecy has many advantages, for when you tell someone the purpose of any object right away, they often think there is nothing to it.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
173. “Since time is not a person we can overtake when he is gone, let us honor him with mirth and cheerfulness of heart while he is passing.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
174. “So long as you live and work, you will be misunderstood; to that you must resign yourself once and for all. Be silent.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
175. “Strike the dog dead, it’s but a critic.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
176. “Stupidity is without anxiety.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
177. “Take care of your body with steadfast fidelity. The soul must see through these eyes alone, and if they are dim, the whole world is clouded.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
178. “Talent develops in quiet places, character in the full current of human life.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
179. “Talent develops in quiet, character in the torrent of the world.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
180. “Talents are best nurtured in solitude, but character is best formed in the stormy billows of the world.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
181. “Talk well of the absent whenever you have the opportunity.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
182. “Taste is only to be educated by contemplation, not of the tolerably good but of the truly excellent. I therefore show you only the best works; and when you are grounded in these, you will have a standard for the rest, which you will know how to value, without overrating them.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
183. “That is the true season of love; when we believe that we alone can love, that no one could ever have loved as much before, and that no one will ever love in the same way again.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
184. “The coward threatens when he is safe.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
185. “The credit of advancing science has always been due to individuals and never to the age.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
186. “The decline in literature indicates a decline in the nation. The two keep pace in their downward tendency.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
187. “The deed is everything, the glory is naught.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
188. “The destiny of any nation at any given time depends on the opinion of its young people, those under twenty-five.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
189. “The first and last thing required of genius is the love of truth.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
190. “The greater the knowledge, the greater the doubt.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
191. “The greatest difficulties lie where we are not looking for them.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
192. “The greatest genius will never be worth much if he pretends to draw exclusively from his own resources.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
193. “The happy do not believe in miracles.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
194. “The heights charm us, but the steps do not; with the mountain in our view we love to walk the plains.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
195. “The hero draws inspiration from the virtue of his ancestors.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
196. “The highest problem of any art is to cause by appearance the illusion of a higher reality.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
197. “The history of mankind is his character.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
198. “The intelligent man finds almost everything ridiculous, the sensible man hardly anything.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
199. “The little that is completed, vanishes from the sight of one who looks forward to what is still to do.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
200. “The man of understanding finds everything laughable.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
201. “The man who is born with a talent which he was meant to use finds his greatest happiness in using it.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
202. “The mediator of the inexpressible is the work of art.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
203. “The older we get the more we must limit ourselves if we wish to be active.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
204. “The people rate strength before everything.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
205. “The people who are absent are the ideal; those who are present seem to be quite commonplace.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
206. “The person born with a talent they are meant to use will find their greatest happiness in using it.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
207. “The person of analytic or critical intellect finds something ridiculous in everything. The person of synthetic or constructive intellect, in almost nothing.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
208. “The person who in shaky times also wavers only increases the evil, but the person of firm decision fashions the universe.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
209. “The persons born with a talent they are meant to use will find their greatest happiness in using it.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
210. “The philosopher must station themselves in the middle.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
211. “The phrases that men hear or repeat continually, end by becoming convictions and ossify the organs of intelligence.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
212. “The really unhappy person is the one who leaves undone what they can do, and starts doing what they don’t understand; no wonder they come to grief.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
213. “The senses do not deceive us, but the judgment does.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
214. “The society of women is the element of good manners.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
215. “The solution of every problem is another problem.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
216. “The soul is indestructible and its activity will continue through eternity.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
217. “The soul that sees beauty may sometimes walk alone.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
218. “The unnatural, that too is natural.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
219. “The wealth that cannot be administered is a burden.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
220. “The Woman-Soul leadeth us upward and on.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
221. “Then indecision brings its own delays, and days are lost lamenting o’er lost days. Are you in earnest? Seize this very minute; what you can do, or dream you can, begin it; boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
222. “There are nine requisites for contented living: HEALTH enough to make work a pleasure; WEALTH enough to support your needs; STRENGTH enough to battle with difficulties and forsake them; GRACE enough to confess your sins and overcome them; PATIENCE enough to toil until some good is accomplished; CHARITY enough to see some good in your neighbor; LOVE enough to move you to be useful and helpful to others; FAITH enough to make real the things of God; HOPE enough to remove all anxious fears concerning the future.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
223. “There are two things parents should give their children: roots and wings. Roots to give them bearing and a sense of belonging, but also wings to help free them from constraints and prejudices and give them other ways to travel (or rather, to fly).” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
224. “There is a courtesy of the heart; it is allied to love. From its springs the purest courtesy in the outward behavior.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
225. “There is no crime of which I do not deem myself capable.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
226. “There is nothing in the world more shameful than establishing one’s self on lies and fables.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
227. “There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
228. “There is nothing more frightful than imagination without taste.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
229. “There is repetition everywhere, and nothing is found only once in the world.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
230. “They teach in academies far too many things, and far too much that is useless.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
231. “They travel with a constant companion, autumn.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
232. “Thinking is easy, acting is difficult, and to put one’s thoughts into action is the most difficult thing in the world.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
233. “Thinking is more interesting than knowing, but less interesting than looking.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
234. “This is the highest wisdom that I own; freedom and life are earned by those alone who conquer them each day anew.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
235. “This is the true measure of love: When we believe that we alone can love, that no one could ever have loved so before us, and that no one will ever love in the same way after us.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
236. “Those are dead even for this life who hope for no other.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
237. “Those who know nothing of foreign languages know nothing of their own.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
238. “Thought expands, but paralyzes; action animates, but narrows.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
239. “To be loved for what one is, is the greatest exception. The great majority love in others only what they lend him, their own selves, their version of him.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
240. “To be pleased with one’s limits is a wretched state.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
241. “To create something you must be something.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
242. “To know someone here or there with whom you can feel there is understanding in spite of distances or thoughts expressed – That can make life a garden.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
243. “To make converts is the natural ambition of everyone.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
244. “To rule is easy, to govern difficult.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
245. “To the person with a firm purpose all men and things are servants.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
246. “To understand one thing well is better than understanding many things by halves.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
247. “Traveling is like gambling: it is always connected with winning and losing, and generally where it is least expected we receive, more or less than what we hoped for.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
248. “Trust yourself, then you will know how to live.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
249. “Unlike grown ups, children have little need to deceive themselves.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
250. “Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
251. “We always have time enough, if we will but use it aright.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
252. “We are never deceived; we deceive ourselves.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
253. “We are shaped and fashioned by what we love.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
254. “We are so constituted that we believe the most incredible things; and, once they are engraved upon the memory, woe to him who would endeavor to erase them.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
255. “We can always redeem the man who aspires and strives.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
256. “We can offer up much in the large, but to make sacrifices in little things is what we are seldom equal to.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
257. “We do not have to visit a madhouse to find disordered minds; our planet is the mental institution of the universe.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
258. “We eagerly get hold of a law that serves as a weapon to our passions.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
259. “We must not take the faults of our youth with us into old age, for age brings along its own defects.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
260. “We need a constitution, we need rules, but we don’t need a wall.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
261. “We will burn that bridge when we come to it.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
262. “Wealth lost is something lost, honor lost is something lost: Courage lost all is lost.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
263. “What by a straight path cannot be reached by crooked ways is never won.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
264. “What is hardest of all? That which seems most simple: to see with your eyes what is before your eyes.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
265. “What is my life if I am no longer useful to others?” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
266. “What is not fully understood is not possessed.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
267. “What is not started today is never finished tomorrow.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
268. “What is uttered from the heart alone, Will win the hearts of others to your own.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
269. “What life half gives a man, posterity gives entirely.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
270. “What makes people happy is activity; changing evil itself into good by power, working in a God like manner.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
271. “Whatever liberates our spirit without giving us self-control is disastrous.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
272. “Whatever you cannot understand, you cannot possess.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
273. “Whatever you think you can do or believe you can do, begin it. Action has magic, grace and power in it.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
274. “When a wife has a good husband it is easily seen in her face.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
275. “When all is said the greatest action is to limit and isolate one’s self.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
276. “When ideas fail, words come in very handy.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
277. “When we treat man as he is, we make him worse than he is; when we treat him as if he already were what he potentially could be, we make him what he should be.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
278. “When you praise someone you call yourself his equal.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
279. “Whenever I hear people talking about liberal ideas, I am always astounded that men should love to fool themselves with empty sounds. An idea should never be liberal; it must be vigorous, positive, and without loose ends so that it may fulfill its divine mission and be productive. The proper place for liberality is in the realm of the emotions.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
280. “Where is the man who has the strength to be true, and to show himself as he is?” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
281. “Whether a person shows themselves to be a genius in science or in writing a song, the only point is, whether the thought, the discovery, or the deed, is living and can live on.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
282. “While man’s desires and aspirations stir he cannot choose but err.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
283. “Who is sure of their own motives can in confidence advance or retreat.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
284. “Who is the most sensible person? The one who finds what is to their own advantage in all that happens to them.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
285. “Who is the wisest man? He who neither knows or wishes for anything else than what happens.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
286. “Who never ate his bread in sorrow, who never sat the sorrowful nights weeping on his bed, he knows you not, you heavenly Powers.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
287. “Whoever wishes to keep a secret must hide the fact that he possesses one.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
288. “Wisdom is found only in truth.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
289. “Without haste, but without rest.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
290. “Wood burns because it has the proper stuff in it; and a man becomes famous because he has the proper stuff in him.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
291. “Yes! To this thought I hold with firm persistence; The last result of wisdom stamps it true; He only earns his freedom and existence Who daily conquers them anew.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
292. “You accuse a woman of wavering affections, but don’t blame her; she is just looking for a consistent man.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe