Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Quotes

You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.

We do not have to visit a madhouse to find disordered minds; our planet is the mental institution of the universe.

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 moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves, too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never have otherwise occurred...unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.

The moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. Whatever you think you can do, or believe you can do, begin it. Action has magic, power and grace.

Magic is believing in yourself, if you can do that, you can make anything happen.

At the moment of commitment the entire universe conspires to assist you.

I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather....In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, and a person is humanized or is dehumanized.

Courage is the commitment to begin without any guarantee of success.

Nothing is more disgusting than the majority: because it consists of a few powerful predecessors, of rogues who adapt themselves, of weak who assimilate themselves, and the masses who imitate without knowing at all what they want.

If I accept you as you are, I will make you worse; however, if I treat you as though you are what you are capable of becoming, I help you become that.

There is nothing worse than aggressive stupidity.

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

One must ask children and birds how cherries and strawberries taste.

Hell begins the day that God grants you the vision to see all that you could have done, should have done, and would have done, but did not do.

Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.

Correction does much, but encouragement does more.

Enjoy when you can, and endure when you must.

Everything is hard before it is easy.

Our friends show us what we can do; our enemies teach us what we must do.

Nothing is worth more than this day. You cannot relive yesterday. Tomorrow is still beyond your reach.

He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home.

Why look for conspiracy when stupidity can explain so much

It is the color closest to light. In its utmost purity it always implies the nature of brightness and has a cheerful, serene, gently stimulating character. Hence, experience teaches us that yellow makes a thoroughly warm and comforting impression.

None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.

Someday perhaps the inner light will shine forth from us, and the we'll need no other light.

The person born with a talent they are meant to use will find their greatest happiness in using it.

If you want someone to develop a specific trait, treat them as though they already had it.

A useless life is an early death.

Too many parents make life hard for their children by trying, too zealously, to make it easy for them.

Behavior is the mirror in which everyone shows their image.

There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action.

In nature we never see anything isolated, but everything in connection with something else which is before it, beside it, under it and over it.

A person hears only what they understand.

Nine requisites for contented living: Health enough to make work a pleasure. Wealth enough to support your needs. Strength to battle with difficulties and overcome them. Grace enough to confess your sins and forsake them. Patience enough to toil until some good is accomplished. Charity enough to see some good in your neighbor. Love enough to move you to be useful and helpful to others. Faith enough to make real the things of God. Hope enough to remove all anxious fears concerning the future.

People who think honestly and deeply have a hostile attitude towards the public.

I never knew a more presumptuous person than myself. The fact that I say that shows that what I say is true.

Each indecision brings its own delays and days are lost lamenting over lost days... What you can do or think you can do, begin it. For boldness has magic, power, and genius in it.

Nothing is worse than active ignorance.

Yet through delivery orators succeed, I feel that I am far behind indeed.

With little art, clear wit and sense Suggest their own delivery.

What is not started today is never finished tomorrow.

Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of being.

To think is easy. To act is hard. But the hardest thing in the world is to act in accordance with your thinking.

The way you see people is the way you treat them, and the way you treat them is what they become.

Ingratitude is always a kind of weakness. I have never known men of ability to be ungrateful.

As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.

If you wish to know the mind of a man, listen to his words.

I am not omniscient, but I know a lot.

Look at a man the way he is and he only becomes worse, but look at him as if he were what he could be, then he becomes what he should be.