Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Faust, German literature
Sayings by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.
The highest wisdom is to know that we know nothing.
The more light a man has in his heart, the less darkness he will have in his path.
Man cannot live without a permanent belief in something indestructible in himself, though both the indestructible element and the belief may remain hidden from him.
To say something is true is not enough; one must also live it.
The greatest evil is not done by evil people, but by good people who stand by and do nothing.
Enjoy when you can, and endure when you must.
The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.
Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.
The human being is an abyss.
To see a thing as it is, and not as it should be, is the beginning of wisdom.
Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.
Things that matter most must never be at the mercy of things that matter least.
A man who is always in a hurry is always behind.
The truly wise man is he who knows that he knows nothing.
All theory, dear friend, is gray, but the golden tree of life springs ever green.
I love those who yearn for the impossible.
A man sees in the world what he carries in his heart.
The deed is everything, the glory nothing.
One must ask children and birds how cherries and strawberries taste.