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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Freedom exists only with power.
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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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Wise to resolve, patient to perform.
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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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Opposition always enflames the enthusiast, never converts him.
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It is easy to give advice from a port of safety.
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Speech is always bolder than action.
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Truth exists for the wise, beauty for the feeling heart.
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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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One can advise comfortably from a safe port.
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Keep true to the dreams of thy youth.
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With stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain.
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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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It does not prove a thing to be right because the majority say it is so.
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Votes should be weighed not counted.
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A noble heart will always capitulate to reason.
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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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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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A merely fallen enemy may rise again, but the reconciled one is truly vanquished.
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The lamp of genius burns quicker than the lamp of life.
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To save all we must risk all.
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Friends show me what I can do, foes teach me what I should do.
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Against stupidity the gods themselves struggle in vain.
(Mit der Dummheit kaempfen Goetter selbst vergebens)
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