Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Gen Quotations

It is the great triumph of genius to make the common appear novel.

Everything great and intelligent is in the minority

The greatest genius will not be worth much if he pretends to draw exclusively from his own resources

Mediocrity has no greater consolation than in the thought that genius is not immortal.

Clever people are always the best conversations lexicon.

Yet here I stand poor fool what more, not one wit wiser than before.

Conscience is the virtue of the observers not the agents of action

A noble man is led far by woman's gentle words. [Ger., Ein edler Mann wird durch ein gutes Wort Der Frauen weit gefuhrt.]

The intelligent man finds almost everything ridiculous, the sensible man hardly anything.

Be generous with kindly words, especially about those who are absent.

Boldness has power, magic and genius in it.

Beware of dissipating your powers; strive constantly to concentrate them. Genius thinks it can do whatever it sees others doing, but it is sure to repent every ill-judged outlay.

The greatest genius will never be worth much if he pretends to draw exclusively from his own resources.

has played a powerful part in shaping the opinions of the group of intellectuals who are behind Hitler in the epoch-making program.

The first and last thing required of genius is the love of truth.

The first and last thing required of genius is, love of the truth.

A noble man is led by woman's gentle words.

When intelligent and sensible people despise knowledge in their old age, it is only because they have asked too much of it and of themselves.

Giving is the business of the rich.

Generosity wins favour for everyone, especially when it is accompanied by modesty.

Beauty and Genius must be kept afar if one would avoid becoming their slave.

Humor is one of the elements of genius--admirable as an adjunct; but as soon as it becomes dominant, only a surrogate for genius.

The first and last thing required of genius is the love of truth. [Ger., Das erste und letzte, was vom Genie gefordert wird, ist Wahreits-Liebe.]

I come more and more to the conclusion that one must take the side of the minority which is always the more intelligent one.

There is no greater consolation for mediocrity than that the genius is not immortal.

Genius is formed in quiet, character in the stream of human life

Genius develops in quiet places, character out in the full current of human life

All intelligent thoughts have already been thought; what is necessary is only to try to think them again.

Every day we should hear at least one little song, read one good poem, see one exquisite picture, and, if possible, speak a few sensible words.

The phrases men are accustomed to repeat incessantly, end by becoming convictions and ossify the organs of intelligence

Traveling is like gambling: it is always connected with winning and losing, and generally where it is least expected we receive, more or less than what we hoped for.

Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it.

Whether a person shows themselves to be a genius in science or in writing a song, the only point is, whether the thought, the discovery, or the deed, is living and can live on.

When two people are really happy about one another, one can generally assume that they are mistaken.