Folly, thou conquerest, and I must yieldAgainst stupidity the very godsThemselves contend in vain. Exalted reason,Resplendent daughter of the head divine,Wise foundress of the system of the world,Guide of the stars, who are thou then, if thou,Bound to the tail of folly's uncurb'd steed,Must, vainly shrieking, with the drunken crowd,Eyes open, plunge down headlong in the abyss.
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As noble Art has survived noble nature, so too she marches ahead of it, fashioning and awakening by her inspiration. Before Truth sends her tr...
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Nothing, it is true, is more common than for both Science and Art to pay homage to the spirit of the age, and for creative taste to accept the law of critical taste.
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We are citizens of an age, as well as of a State; and if it is held to be unseemly, or even inadmissible, for a man to cut himself off from the customs and manners of the circle in which he lives, why should it be less of a duty, in the choice of his activity, to submit his decision to the needs and the taste of his century?
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Against stupidity the gods themselves struggle in vain. (Mit der Dummheit kaempfen Goetter selbst vergebens)
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Freedom exists only with power.
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Opposition always enflames the enthusiast, never converts him.
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Speech is always bolder than action.
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Wise to resolve, patient to perform.
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It is criminal to steal a purse, daring to steal a fortune, a mark of greatness to steal a crown. The blame diminishes as the guilt increases.
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Keep true to the dreams of thy youth.
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Votes should be weighed not counted.
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Truth exists for the wise, beauty for the feeling heart.
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With stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain.
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It does not prove a thing to be right because the majority say it is so.
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One can advise comfortably from a safe port.
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It is easy to give advice from a port of safety.
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The artist is the child of his time; but woe to him if he is also its disciple, or even its favorite.
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There is no such thing as chance and what seem to us merest accident springs from the deepest source of destiny.
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A merely fallen enemy may rise again, but the reconciled one is truly vanquished.
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A noble heart will always capitulate to reason.
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Utility is the great idol of the age, to which all powers must do service and all talents swear allegiance.
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With stupidity the gods themselves struggle in vain.
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If you have never seen beauty in a moment of suffering, you have never seen beauty at all. If you have never seen joy in a beautiful face, you have never seen joy at all.
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Against stupidity, the Gods themselves contend in vain.
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The lamp of genius burns quicker than the lamp of life.
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Friends show me what I can do, foes teach me what I should do.
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He that is over -- cautious will accomplish little.
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Against stupidity the gods themselves struggle in vain.
(Mit der Dummheit kaempfen Goetter selbst vergebens)
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To save all we must risk all.
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