32 quotes
German playwright, poet, philosopher and historian (1759–1805)
“No emperor has the power to dictate to the heart.”
"Revenge is barren of itself: it is the dreadful food it feeds on; its delight is murder, and its end is despair."
on Philosophy
"While the gods remained more human, the men were more divine."
"To save all we must risk all."
on Courage
"If you cannot please everyone with your deeds and your art, please a few. To please many is bad."
on Art
"Peace is rarely denied to the peaceful."
on Peace
"Full of wisdom are the ordinations of fate."
on Wisdom
"They would need to be already wise, in order to love wisdom."
"Art is the daughter of freedom."
"Power is the most persuasive rhetoric."
on Power
"He who has done his best for his own time has lived for all times."
on Life
"Lose not yourself in a far off time, seize the moment that is thine."
on Mindfulness
"Happy he who learns to bear what he cannot change."
"Utility is the great idol of the age, to which all powers must do service and all talents swear allegiance."
"The man of courage thinks not of himself. Help the oppressed and put thy trust in God."
"The voice of the majority is no proof of justice"
on Justice
"Be noble minded! Our own heart, and not other men's opinions of us, forms our true honor."
on Honor
"Oh how can we, scarce mastering our passions, expect that youth should keep itself in check?"
"Art is the right hand of Nature. The latter has only given us being, the former has made us men."
"It is not flesh and blood, but heart which makes us fathers and sons."
on Relationships
"Mankind is made great or little by its own will."
