All the knowledge I possess everyone else can acquire, but my heart is all my own.
Johann Wolfgang Von GoetheRead
Investigate what is, and not what pleases.
Interpretation
Focus on understanding reality rather than being swayed by superficial pleasures.
This quote emphasizes the importance of seeking truth and understanding rather than getting caught up in what is merely enjoyable or pleasing. Goethe suggests that genuine investigation of reality leads to deeper knowledge and wisdom, urging individuals to prioritize inquiry over gratification.
In practice
In a philosophical discussion about the nature of happiness, you might quote Goethe to emphasize the importance of understanding true realities.
All the knowledge I possess everyone else can acquire, but my heart is all my own.
Destiny grants us our wishes, but in its own way, in order to give us something beyond our wishes.
There is a courtesy of the heart; it is allied to love. From its springs the purest courtesy in the outward behavior.
I am amazed to see how deliberately I have entangled myself step by step. To have seen my position so clearly, and yet to have acted so like a child!
Seldom in the business and transactions of ordinary life, do we find the sympathy we want.
Know thyself? If I knew myself I would run away.
You're so caught up in grumbling, complaining, and seeing what's wrong that you have no energy or time to appreciate what's good.
One is wise to cultivate the tree that bears fruit in our soul.
I’m ALIVE. Thinking about it, noticing it, is new. You do things and don’t watch. Then all of a sudden you look and see what you’re doing and it’s the first time, really.
Sometimes it is harder to deprive oneself of a pain than of a pleasure.
It was hell at the time, but after it was over, it was wonderful.
That is the mystery of grace: it never comes too late.
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