All the knowledge I possess everyone else can acquire, but my heart is all my own.
Johann Wolfgang Von GoetheRead
[W]hat counts is that one perceives excellence and dares to give it expression, which sounds little but is in fact a great deal.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The essence of greatness lies in recognizing excellence and having the courage to express it.
Goethe emphasizes the importance of perception and expression in appreciating excellence. To truly recognize something as exceptional and to dare to vocalize or showcase it is not a small task; it requires courage and conviction, suggesting that the act of expression is as significant as the excellence itself.
Themes
ExcellenceExpressionCourageArtRecognition
In practice
Example use cases
During a workshop on creativity, you could use this quote to inspire artists to express their unique visions.
More from Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
All quotes →Destiny grants us our wishes, but in its own way, in order to give us something beyond our wishes.
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There is a courtesy of the heart; it is allied to love. From its springs the purest courtesy in the outward behavior.
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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!
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Seldom in the business and transactions of ordinary life, do we find the sympathy we want.
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Know thyself? If I knew myself I would run away.
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