The 70 best phrases of Wolfgang Goethe

To speak of Johann Wolfgang Goethe is to speak of one of the greatest and best known German playwrights, poets and novelists and great representative of romanticism. His of him are works as well known worldwide as "Faust", the largest and most iconic of his theatrical works, as well as novels such as "Wilhelm Meister" or poetry such as "Prometheus". In addition to the literary level, his scientific production in disciplines such as botany or his theory of color also stands out.

Throughout his life and work, the author's reflections on different aspects of life have been multiple, which we can see reflected in some of Goethe's phrases that we will see here.

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A selection of Goethe phrases

In the following lines you will find a series of great Goethe's phrases that let us see his point of view regarding various aspects of life that are part of our reality.

1. The happiest man in the world is the one who knows how to recognize the merits of others and can rejoice in the good of others as if he were his own

Being able to be truly happy about the achievements of others implies that we care about them and allows us to be happy without there being a comparison or competition with the other.

2. Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, one must also do

Will and wishes are useless if we don't do something to make them come true.

3. Man is made by his beliefs. As he believes, so it is

We behave based on what we believe about ourselves, others, the world or reality. This will largely shape our way of being.

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4. There are only two lasting legacies we can hope to give our children. One of them are roots, the other wings

The provenance, something to build on and the ability to explore the world is the only thing that we will truly be able to bestow on our progeny. The rest will be modified or should not be forced but chosen freely.

5. Fidelity is the effort of a noble soul to equal itself to another greater than itself.

Fidelity is a value little put into practice today, but it is still one of the most valued.

6. The only man who is never wrong is the one who never does anything

We all make mistakes, and this allows us to learn and grow.

7. Artist! Plasma! Do not speak!

The author exhorts the artist to focus on the expression and expression of the interior of himself instead of limiting himself to explaining them literally.

8. The sensitive man often laughs when there is nothing to laugh about. His inner well-being comes out regardless of the motive that stimulates him

People who feel good about themselves are able to radiate that well-being in a wide range of situations, even if there is no reason for it.

9. There is a difference between living with someone and living in him. There are men in whom you can live without living with them, and vice versa. Uniting both is only given to the purest love and friendship

The author establishes the difference between cohabiting and maintaining a true bond between people, as well as the difficulty of doing both at the same time.

10. The hypotheses are scaffolds that are placed in front of the building and removed at the end of the works. They are essential for the bricklayer, who however should not take the scaffolding through the building

Goethe warns us to take into account that our hypotheses are only such a thing: although necessary they are only a way of approaching the truth, not necessarily the truth itself.

11. We cannot model our children according to our wishes, we must be with them and love them as God has given them to us

This phrase pushes us to accept the children as they are, without trying to change or adjust them to our expectations.

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12. Magic is believing in yourself: if you can do that you can do anything

Believing in yourself is essential to achieve any challenge or goal.

13. The cruelest revenge is the contempt of all possible revenge

The author tells us that the worst possible revenge against someone is complete indifference towards that someone and his actions, in addition to not exercising any revenge and allowing the other to imagine.

14. Upon coming into contact with a certain color, it is immediately synchronized with the human spirit, producing a decisive and important effect on the mood.

This phrase refers to Goethe's theory of color, which linked the observation of each color with different moods.

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15. Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes

We must be willing to see and adapt to changes. It is one of the most philosophical Goethe phrases.

16. Sometimes our destiny resembles a fruit tree in winter. Who would think that those branches will green and flourish? But we hope so and we know that it will

In our life we ​​are going to go through bad times, but all of them will end up happening. Our destiny is not a straight line but a spiral.

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17. Treat a man as he is, and he will remain what he is; Treat it as it can and should be and it will become what it can and should be

Goethe expresses the need to try to optimize and push ourselves and others beyond their limits.

18. Everybody wants to be someone; nobody wants to grow

We tend to see and try to imitate others, instead of developing our own ways of being and acting.

19. The night is half life, and the best half

In life there are both lights and shadows, and all of them (especially shadows) help us learn and develop.

20. It is a great mistake to believe yourself more than you are, or less than you are worth

We must be aware of our worth, without exceeding our valuation but without putting ourselves below what we are really worth.

21. Misunderstandings and negligence create more confusion in the world than deception and evil. In any case, these last two are much less frequent.

Most problems are derived not from evil but from a lack of understanding of each other.

22. Who in the name of freedom renounces being who he has to be, is a suicide on foot

This phrase indicates that we need to be ourselves to be truly free, not having to give up who we are if we want to be happy.

23. Freedom like life, only deserves it who knows how to conquer it every day

Things are not free: freedom implies the responsibility to exercise it and take responsibility for your own life. Only whoever is capable of doing it is going to deserve it.

24. If everyone cleans the sidewalk from him, the street will be clean

The author reflects the importance of each of us doing what we are supposed to do.

25. Dangerous is the man who has nothing to lose

Having nothing to lose can lead to considering any option without fear of possible consequences, which can be dangerous depending on the context.

26. The most beautiful metempsychosis is the one in which we see ourselves reappear in others

Goethe refers to the beauty that we can find in seeing part of ourselves in those around us.

27. The important thing is not to do new things but to do them as if nobody had ever done them before

Practically everything we think or do has been thought or done before. The important thing is not to be the first, but to do them with passion and discover them for ourselves.

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28. Acting is easy, thinking is difficult; acting as you think is even more difficult

It is not so easy to act according to our beliefs when often the action that these would require can be frowned upon, considered shameful or outdated or generally judged by others.

29. Blessed is he who remembers his ancestors with pleasure, who gladly talks about his actions and his greatness and who serenely rejoices to see himself at the end of such a beautiful row

The author reflects the importance of reflecting on and admiring those who preceded us and who have allowed us to be where we are.

30. Whatever you can or dream you can, start it. The atrevemient have intelligent, power and magic. Start it now

The author prompts us to act to achieve our goals, rather than just thinking about them.

31. Living in the hearts of those we have left is not dying

As long as someone remembers us, we will not have died.

32. No one is more a slave than the one who is free without being one

Many people who are subjected are so used to it that they are unable to see it. This means that by not perceiving it, they do not try to change their situation.

33. Do not dream small dreams because they have no power to move the heart of man

Our dreams must be ambitious, capable of motivating us to act.

34. Love and desire are the wings of the spirit of great deeds

Love is one of the forces that moves us the most and motivates us to live, giving us strength to achieve great goals.

35. You never get rid of what belongs to you, even if you throw it away or give it to you

What is part of a person will always be part of him in some way, even though he may not want it with him.

36. He who finds peace in his home, whether king or villager, is the happiest of all human beings.

Finding love and peace at home, having a warm refuge in which to live and share, makes us feel great well-being and happiness.

37. Love is not dominated, it is cultivated

The author tells us that love is not possessiveness or an element to dominate but an aspect that must be watered, cared for and tried to grow.

38. Nobody knows what he does while acting correctly, but what is wrong one is always aware

We are often aware of everything we do wrong and criticize ourselves for it. However, it is not usually so common that we look at what we do well, assuming that it is normal.

39. Evil is in your mind and not outside. The pure mind always sees only the good in everything, but the bad is in charge of inventing the evil

The author states that we often see what we want to see and if not, we create it to match what we expect.

40. How much we do has consequences. But what is just and reasonable does not always produce happy consequences, nor the absurd unfavorable consequences, but often the opposite happens.

We do not always control the consequences of our actions, regardless of what our intentions are. We can have good intentions and create great suffering, or have bad intentions but end up doing a great favor for someone else.

41. It is a great virtue of the serene man to hear everything that is censured against him, to correct what is true and not be disturbed by what is a lie

Criticisms, although generally unwanted, can help us to improve those things that can be improved. As for those that are not true, they can be totally ignored.

42. Faith is love of the invisible, trust in the impossible, in the implausible

Having faith means betting on something that we do not fully know or are not sure of.

43. Bold ideas are like chess pieces moving forward. They can be beaten, but they can also start a victorious game

Daring something can end badly and hurt us, but it can also allow us to achieve our most ambitious goals.

44. What I know, anyone can know; only I have my heart

Knowing we can know many, but what one feels is only from that person and no one will be able to match or learn it.

45. Talent is cultivated in calm; character is formed in the stormy waves of the world

Our personality and character is formed by learning from experiences, including painful ones (which make us learn and grow, however).

46. There is always enough strength left from each one to achieve what he is convinced of.

Our convictions and beliefs move us at a deep level, being able to make us capable of drawing strength from weakness to be able to act and achieve what we consider fair.

47. Making a crown is much easier than finding a head worthy of wearing

Power is hard to carry, and in many cases it can be difficult to find someone worthy of it.

48. Men rich in tears are good. Away from everyone who has a dry heart and dry eyes

The sensitivity of a person can tell us what he keeps inside. Crying is not bad but is an expression of one's own emotions. On the other hand, those who do not react can never be indifferent and disconnected with respect to what happens.

49. Cemeteries are full of essential men

No one is essential.

50. A great sacrifice is easy; the ones that are difficult are the continual small sacrifices

A great effort or specific suffering can hurt, but it does not cost much to go through it on a specific occasion. However, making small sacrifices continuously is much more exhausting and painful, accumulating its effects and persisting over time.

51. A man sees in the world what he carries in his heart

Again, we are told that we tend to observe the world in a way that is consistent with what we think and feel about it.

52. You are, after all, what you are. Even if you wear a wig with thousands of curls, even if you wear an elbow high heels, you will still be what you are

This phrase is intended to emphasize the fact that we are as we are and we should not hide it or pretend otherwise.

53. Madness, sometimes, is nothing other than reason presented in a different form

Often follies are considered mere acts not understood but carried out correctly and with the correct interpretation of the situation.

54. Happy is he who recognizes in time that his wishes are not in accordance with his faculties.

Recognizing our own limits allows us to adjust our expectations and desires so that we can achieve them.

55. Lazy people always talk about what they plan to do, what they will do; those who really do something do not have time to talk or what they do

Doing things for real takes time and effort, not used by those who just promise.

56. It is true that in the workshop of thought it occurs as in a weaver's masterpiece, where a single impulse moves a thousand threads at the same time. The shuttle starts up, goes up and down and in a single hit produces a thousand frames

Each thought or phenomenon can have an effect on the entire system and bring up a large number of alternatives, new thoughts and considerations. Every little idea can generate thousands more of it.

57. Hatred is a serious weight that sinks the heart to the depths of the chest and is fixed like a tombstone on all joys

The author expresses what it means to hate and its effect when it comes to hindering joy and happiness.

58. A man does not learn to understand anything unless he loves him

We are only capable of understanding what we love.

59. The toils of life teach us only to appreciate the goods of life

Just as the existence of death allows us to appreciate the value of life since it has a In short, suffering allows us to appreciate the good things in life by being able to run out of they.

60. The dove protests against the air, not realizing that it is the only thing that allows it to fly

We often protest against aspects and elements that we consider annoying but that in fact help us and allow us to act in our day to day life.

61. What does not start today never ends tomorrow

Procrastinating means that we can never start or finish anything, prolonging the completion of our acts.

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62. When I've been working all day, a good evening meets me

The author refers to the value of work and the satisfaction that comes from knowing a job well done.

63. I can promise to be sincere, but not impartial

Fairness is complicated, if not impossible, because we are subject to interests, cognitions, IDs or other elements that make it difficult not to be identified with any of the options existing.

64. The youth wants better to be stimulated than instructed

What young people need is not just to be taught, but to be motivated to discover things and to see the world. One of Goethe's phrases with a clear moral character.

65. The man with enough vision to admit his limitations is closer to perfection.

There is no perfect human being. But the fact of being able to recognize this fact and the aspects that make us limited allows us to get closer to the ideal of perfection.

66. Boredom is a weed, but also a spice that makes many things digest

Getting bored is not pleasant, but it allows you to have time to think and reflect.

67. The human spirit advances continuously, but always in a spiral

We do not continually advance. We often go backwards and it is often necessary to continue moving forward.

68. We will not ask if we fully agree, but only if we are on the same path

It is not likely to have an opinion identical to that of others, but it is likely to take into account whether our goals, beliefs and thoughts are going the same way or in a similar way to our own.

69. Great passions are incurable diseases. What could cure them would make them truly dangerous

Passion can be experienced as something that shakes us and in which we are very involved. Censuring these passions can be dangerous and destroy part of who we are.

70. Beauty is a manifestation of secret natural laws, which otherwise would have been hidden from us forever.

The author tells us in this sentence what beauty and its appreciation mean.