A man sees in the world what he carries in his heart.
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe -
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) was a German poet, playwright and natural scientist, author of Faust and the novel The Sorrows of Young Werther. Alongside literature he worked seriously on botany and a theory of colour, and held state office in Weimar for over fifty years. His output covers nearly every genre available to him.
About this theme: Philosophy
Philosophy always sits awkwardly in a collection of quotations: systems do not compress into a sentence, and that is exactly what is asked of them. Kant's ethics or Nietzsche's critique of morality do not fit into a single line without loss. What survives is the phrasing — often brilliant, but lifted out of the context that gave it weight.
More by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
- Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.
- He who moves not forward goes backward.
- In the realm of ideas everything depends on enthusiasm; in the real world all rests on perseverance.
- Nothing is worth more than this day.
- As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.
More on Philosophy
- The unexamined life is not worth living.— Socrates
- Do not weep; do not wax indignant. Understand.— Baruch Spinoza
- The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself.— Michel de Montaigne
- All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.— Blaise Pascal
- He who flies high falls low.— Croatian Proverb