MAXIMS AND REFLECTIO NS

G O ETH E

TR A N SL A TE D B Y

B A I L EX t SPA U N D E iR S
’
)
’

WI TH A P R E FA C E '

New got h
I
T H E M A C M L L A N C O M P A NY
L O NDO N : MAC M ILLAN co .
, L TD .

1 9 06

A ll ri gh t s r e se r ve d
 CO NT ENTS

TR A N S L A T C R
’
S P R EFA C E

L I FE A ND C R HA A C TE R
L I TE R A TU R E A ND AR T

S C I E NC E

NA T U R E A P H O RI S M S
IND E X

m i C C S QB
T RA NSL ATO R S P RE FA C E
’
 T R A N S LA T O R S EREFQACE
’

0 9
3

! )

T HE tr anslation of Goeth e s P r ose Maxi m s

’

n o w o ff ere d t o t h e p u bli c is the first attempt

that h as yet been made t o p resent th e greater

p art of th ese incomparable sayings in English
-
.

In the c omplete c ollection the y are over a thou

sand in number and n ot more p erhaps than a
,

hundred and fifty h ave alrea dy found their

way into o ur language whether as c o n t ri bu
,

tions t o magazines h ere and in A meri ca o r in ,

v olumes of miscellaneo us extract from Goethe s ’

writings S ome are at ti mes quote d as though

.

they were common literary property To say .

that they are important as a whole wo uld be a

fee bl e tri bute to a work eloquent f or itself and ,

bey ond the nee d o f prai se ; but so deep i s the

wis d om of these max ims s o wide the i r reach
, ,

- so com p act a pro d uct are they o f Goethe s ’

wonderful genius that it i s something o f a

,

repro ach to literature to find the most of them

3
 4 TRANS O S PREFACE L AT R ’

left u ntranslate d for the sixty y ears t h y have e

been before the world F rom po i nt f V i ew . one o ,

the neglect they have su ff ere d i s i n no way sur

pri si n
g th e y a e t
: h i gh and severe to berpop é oo

ul r a soon e e d when they meet with a w ide

so f
,

{a cce pt ance h asgwith othe r great works much of

‘

i t Will i est at e s aut h ority B ut even for the

(

‘
f '
.

d eeper si d e o f h is writin gs Goethe h as not been ,

denie d a fai r measure o f popular success No .

other author of the last two centuri es hol ds so

h i gh a place o r as an inevitable c onsequence
, , ,

has be en attacke d by so large an army of e di tors

an d commentators ; an d i t m i ght we l l be supposed
b y now that no corner o f his work an d least ,

o f all one of the b est had rema i ne d almost u n ,

noti ce d an d to the majori ty u nk nown M any

, .

of these max ims were early trans l ate d i nto

‘

F rench b ut wi th l i ttl e success ; and even i n

,

Germany i t was only so l ate as the year 1 8 7 0

that they appeare d i n a separate form wi th the ,

a d di ti on o f s o me sort of cri ti cal comment an d a

bri ef explanation of the i r ori gi n an d h istory 1
.

But although to what i s calle d the r e ad i ng

1 G oe t h e
’
sS p r uch e i n Fr o m zu m er s te n M al e r l aut e r t

un d auf ih re Q l
ue l e n zu r fi c kge fii h r t von G v L oe p e r,

rli l i
. .

Be n, 1 8 70 . h
T is f o r s m t h e t e xt of t h e t r ans at on .
 TRANSLATO R S PREFAC E ’

p ubli c th ese max ims are a yet no less in fa c t s ,

than in metaphor a close d book its pages ha v e

, ,

long been a source f profit an d del i ght to some

o

of those who are best a ble to est i mate their

.

value What that value is I shall presentl y

.
,

en deavour to explai n N I th i nk c an
. o one , ,

p erceive the i r worth without also di scerning

how nearly the y touch the nee ds f our o ow n

day and how greatly the y may h elp

,
in us

facing cert i n p roblems f life and c onduct

a o ,

some o f them in truth as ol d as the world

, ,

itself which app ear t o us n ow with p e culiar

,

force and subtl ety .

It w as in thi s respect that th e y were warml y

re c omm ended t o me some y ears ago by
m y excellent frien d P rofessor H arnack the
, ,

histori an o f D o gma a writer wi th a fine and

,

prudent enthusiasm for all ennobl i ng literature .

It is to him that I o w e the resolve to p erform

for the maxims as far as I c ould the o ffi c e of
, ,

translator ; a h umble o ffi ce but not as I h ave , ,

goo d reason t o kno w without its diffi culty or

, , ,

as I venture to hope without its use ,Of .

many o f them the l anguage is har dly luc id

even to a German and I have gratefully to
,

acknowle dge the assistan c e I h ave receive d

6 TRANS L A TO R S ’
PRE FACE

from the pri vilege

of dis cussing them with s o

di stinguished a man of letters .

T o P rofessor H uxle y I am also d ee p l y i n

d ebted I ow e hi m much for fri endly e n co ur
.

a e m e nt
g and
, st i ll more for help o f an alto
gether invaluable k i n d ; for in i t s measure o f
knowle dge and ski ll i t i s a d mittedly beyon d
,

the power of any other livin g Engl ishman .

The maxims deal not alone with L i fe an d

,

C haracter where most o f them are a d m i rable

, ,

but also w i th certa i n aspects o f S c i ence and

Art ; and these are matters in whi ch I c ould
exercise no ju dgment myself alth ough I un d er ,

stood that while m an y of the max i ms o n

,

S c i en c e and A rt were attracti ve t h e y w e r e n o t

‘

all o f great m er i t P rofessor H uxley not only

.

did m e the honour t o select the maxims o n

S cien c e but he w as further goo d enough t o
,

ass ist me wi th them an d to read and approve

,

the tr anslat i on as it now sta nds The we ight .

an d the i n t erest of hi s author i ty wi ll thu s give

a ddi ti onal value to that secti on of the bo ok and ,

also do much t o overc o me the obje c tions that

ex ist to making a selecti on at all .

F or a selection i s a ne c essary evil It is an .

evil be c ause e v en if it leaves the best it takes

, ,
 TRANS A O R S PREFACE
L T ’

away omething f a man s work ; i f it shows

s o
’

usthe heights he h re c hed it obliterates the

as a ,

steps o f h is ascent ; it endangers thoughts that

may be im portant but imperfectly un d erstood ;
an d it h in ders a fair and complete judgment .

But i n the end it i s a ne c essity : we ar e c o n

cerne d c hi efly w i th the best an d clearest results ,

and it is only the few who care t o fo llow the

ela borate d eta i ls o f e f f ort and p rogress often ,

p ain ful and obscure There i s n o auth or with

.

whom for most readers selection is so n e ce s

, ,

sary as it i s with Goethe ; and in n o other kind

o f l i terature i s it s o amply justi fied o r s o c learl y

des irable as wh ere the aim is to state broad

tru ths o f life and c onduct and method in a
manner admitting of n o m i stake o r uncertain ty .

When a writer attempts achievements as Goethe ,

did in almost every field of tho u ght it n ee d be

, ,

n o surprise t o an y o n e who h as h eard o f h uman

fal libility that in soli d results h e is n ot equally

s u ccessful everywhere In dec i di ng what shall
.

be omitte d there i s no diffi culty with maxims

,

wh i ch time has sh o wn to be wrong or defe c tive ;

they have only an h istori c al interest B ut .

great care is ne c essary with others th at are

te ntative questionable or obs c ure eno u gh t o
, ,
8
'

TRANSLATO R S ’
PREFACE

need the light o f a commentary sometimes ,

dubi ous ; where for most of us there is never

much profit and always occ as i on for stumbl i ng .

I c o unt i t a s ingular piece o f goo d fortune that

the cho i ce o f the sc i enti fic maxims should be
un dertaken by so em i nent a ju dge of the i r pr ac
ti cal value who is also a s cholar in the language
,

an d a great a dmirer o f Goethe in h i s other and

better known pro du c tions Fo r if a writer o f
.

this i mmense versatility c annot always hope t o

touch the h i ghest goal it is well that all h is
,

e ff orts sho ul d be weighe d in a later day by the

best and frien dl iest knowle dge .

The maxi m s on A rt were at first a matter

of some little diffi culty It is plai n I th i nk
.
, ,

that the y are below the others in value and

interest ; and in any collecti on of say ings
the less th ere is o f general worth the more ,

deli cate becomes the task o f choosin g the best .

If I omitte d them all the selecti on would n ot

,

be d uly representa ti ve an d it seemed l ikely that

,

some at least were w o rthy o f b eing preserve d ,

if only t o illustrate Goethe s theori es I there

’
.

fore sought the best a dv i ce ; and here again I

have to te nder my thanks for assistan c e se c ond
to none in s k ill and aut h orit y —that of S i r
,
 TRANSLATO R S ’
PREFACE 9

F rederic k kindly given un d er c ir c um

L eighton ,
stances wh i ch much increase my o bl i gati on .

For it i s my d uty to say that S i r F re d eri c k

L e i gh t o n h ad no desire but rather reluctance
‘

, ,

to make a selecti on from max i ms on A rt wh i c h

he was often not prepared to en d orse o r to ,

regard as in any way commensurate with

Goethe s genius ; and nevertheless he di d m e
’

the honour to p oint o u t a few whic h I m ight

in sert as be i ng o f interest partly for their o w n
,

sake partly also f or the name of their author

, .

The max i ms o n S c ience and A rt are h ow ,

ever when taken together h ardly a fifth o f

, ,

this volume The others I h ave selected o n

.

the s i mple and I h ope blameless p rinciple of

om i tti ng onl y wh at i s clearl y u ni mp ortant anti ,

q u a t e d ,o f past o r p ass i ng interest o f purel,y

p ersonal reference o r of a n ature too abstruse
,

to stand without notes of explanation whi ch I ,

shoul d be sorry to place at the foot o f an y of

these pages I have also om i tte d eleven maxims
.

drawn from H i ppocrate s O n D i e t ; fifteen c o n

ta in i ng an apprec i ati on of S terne together with
,

some twenty more wh ich Goethe hi mself trans

lated from a curious wor k wrongly attr ibuted
to that writer It will be convenient i f I state
.
10 TRANSLATO R S PR FACE ’
E

that I hav e th us o i tted some hundred and

m

twenty t of the
ou i hundred an d fif t y fi
s x -
ve

wh i ch make up the section style d i n the ori gi

nal E t hi h sc wh i ch I t nslate by L if
e s, ra d e an

Ch t the secti on whi ch also conta i ns the

ar a c e r ,

maxims Lit
on t now collecte d an d place d
e r a ur e ,

i n a sepa ate se c tion wi th those on

r

S ir F re derick L e i ghton chose thi rty fi t -

ve ou

o f a hundred an d eighteen A rt and on

—
,

P rofessor H uxley se venty i t f t s xh un ou o w o

dred and eighty S c ienc e

on .
 TRAN S L AT O R S’
PREFACE 11

II
H aving thus ackno w ledged but in no way
discharge d a triple debt f grati tu de i t will be
o ,

next i n or der if I br i efl y state the history f the o

work wh ich now appears i n an Engl ish d ress ,

before attempting to speak of i t nat re an d s u

value .

The publi cation o f the maxims belongs to the

later that is t o s ay the last thirty years of
, , ,

Goethe s life ; and the greater number of them

’

appeared only in the last ten while s ome are ,

p osthumous .

It is impossible t o say with c ertainty at what

perio d h e began the observations whic h were
afterwar ds to come before the world in th is
shape ; nor is the question of any real interest
except to pe d anti c stu dents of such matters .

It i s probable that l i ke most writers Goethe

, ,

was i n the habi t of noting trans i ent th o ughts

o f his own as wel l as Op i n i o ns o f others that
,

suggeste d more than they actually conveye d ;

an d o f preserving for further use what he h ad
thus i n his o w n wor ds wri tten himself an d
, ,
12 TRANSLAT O R S ’
PREFACE

appropriated from elsewhere E ige n e s a n d

A nge e zgn e t e s The max i ms grew out o f a
’

co ll ecti on o f th i s character It was a habi t

.

forme d pr o b ably i n early l i fe f o r s o mewhere

,

i n the L e hrja hr e a work o f eighteen years

— ’

d urati o n b ut begun at the age of twenty seven

,
-

he makes W i l helm M e i ster speak o f the

value o f i t But there are reasons f o r th i nk i ng
.

tha t m o st of the maxims as they now stan d

, ,

were not al o ne publ i shed but also compose d

i n h i s last years . The un i ty of mean ing wh i ch
stamps them wi th a comm on aim ; the s i m ilari ty
of the calm dispass i onate language i n wh i ch
,

they are wri tten ; the di dactic tone that colours

them throughout combi ne to show that they
,

are a m ong the last and ripest fruits of hi s

geni us S ome were certa i nly composed b etween
.

the ages of fifty and s i xty ; more stil l b etween

that an d seventy ; whi le there i s evid ence b o th ,

i nternal an d external proving that many an d

,

p erhaps most o f them were hi s final re flecti o ns

o n life and the w o rl d Thi s i t i s that a dds so
.

much to their i nterest f o r as he h i m s e l f fine l y

says in one of t h e last of them i n a tranqu i l ,
!

mind th o ughts rise up at the C lose of l ife

h i therto unth i nkable l ike blessed inward v oices
 14 TRANS L ATO R S ’
PREFACE

i ncorp orated w i th two treati ses on bran c hes of

that subject .

E ckermann tells a cur i o us story of the way

i n whi ch Goethe then conti nue d the publicati o n
of the maxims Wi lhe lm M e i st e r s Wa n d e rja hr e
.

had appeare d i n i ts first fo rm i n 1 8 2 1 A fte r .

war ds i n 1 8 29 Goethe d ec id e d t o remo del and

, ,

lengthen it an d to make two volumes out

,

o f what ha d orig i nall y b een o nly o n e H i s .

secretary was employe d to C p it out i n i t s

revi sed form H e wrote i n a l arg e han d wh i ch
.
,

gave the i mpress i on that the story m i ght well

fill even three volumes ; an d directions t o th i s
e ffect were sent t o the publisher B ut i t was .

soon discovered that the l ast two volumes woul d

b e very thin an d the publisher aske d for more
,

manuscr i pt Goethe i n some perpl exity sent

.
, ,

for E ckermann and pro duc i ng two large bun dles

,

of unpubl i she d papers contain i ng as he said, , ,

some very important th ings op in i ons on

,
!

l i fe literature sc i ence an d art all m i ngle d

, , ,

t o gether pro pose d to h i m to lengthen out the

”
,

vo l umes by i n ser t i ng se l e cti ons from them .

Y o u m i ght he s u ggeste d
”
!
, fill the gaps ,
!

i n the Wan d e rja hr e by mak i ng up some s i x o r

e ight sheets from th e s e detache d p i e c es S tr i ctly .
 TRAN SL ATO R S PRE FA C E ’
15

speaking the y have nothi ng to do with the

,

story ; but we may just i fy the pro c ee di ng by

the fact that I mention an archive in M akar i e s ’

house in wh ich such miscellanies are pre

,

serv ed In thi s way we shall not only get over

.

our di fficulty b ut fin d a good v eh i cle for giving

,

much i nteresting matter t o the worl d ”

Ecker .

mann approve d the plan and d ivi d e d h i s selec

,

tion into t w o parts ; an d when the new e dition

o f the Wa n d e rj a hr e appeared o n e o f t hem w as ,

styled A u s M a kar i e ns A r c hi e an d the other ,

B e t r ae t ht u nge n i m S i nn e d e r Wa n d e r e r Ka nst ,

E t hi sc he s N a t u r
, The remain d er of the u n pub
.

li sh e d max i ms appeare d posthumously either ,

i n the Na chge la sse n e We r ke i n 1 8 3 3 o r i n the ,

quar t o e di t i on of 1 8 3 6 .

Instructi ons ha d been given to E ckermann to

col lect all the max i ms arrange them un d er ,

different heads an d i nclu de them i n appropriate

,

volumes ; but he resolved to d ev i ate from h i s

instructions to the extent o f publishing them
all together ; an d the alteration is certainly an
advantage A slight r e arrangement was ma d e
.
-

by von L oeper who w as deterre d from un d er

,

tak i ng a more ra dic al on e although he thought ,

it might be done with profit by the c onsideration ,

16 TRANSL ATO R S PRE FA C E ’

that when a l i terary work f undesigned and o

fortu itou form h l i ved any numb er f years

s -
as o

i n a certai n shape that fact alone is a weighty

,

argument aga i nst any change i n i t In a trans .

lati on perhaps where the work i s presente d

, ,

anew and to a fresh publ i c the hange m ight , C

be allowabl e ; an d I shoul d have un d ertaken it ,

had there not been a more serious reason whi ch ,

v o L oeper also urges aga i nst any attempt at

n ,

systemati c arrangement the further fa c t

re -
: ,

namely that many of the max i ms have a mixed

,

character plac i ng them above

, disti nctions o ur

o f sc i ent i fic an d eth i cal an d mak i ng i t di fficult

,

to d ec id e un der wh i ch hea ding they ought to

fall I have therefore gene lly f llowe d the
.
, , ra o

tra di ti onal or der ; wi th thi s excepti n tha t for o , ,

o b vious reasons the maxims d eal i ng with L i ter

,

ature are here place d together ; an d as only a

few f those on A rt appear in these pages I
o ,

have i nclu de d them i n the same section In .

o ne or t cases I have unite d closely connecte d

w o

max i ms wh i ch are separate d i n the ori gi nal ;

an d for the sake of a short title I have sl ightly
, ,

narrowed the eaning of the word Sp

m h ru c ,

whi ch appl i es to any kin d of shrewd sayi ng ,

whether i t b str i ctly a max i m or an aphorism

e .
 TRANSLAT O R S PRE FACE ’
17

S ome little l ib erti es f this kind may I thi nk

o , ,

be taken by a translator anx i o to put the us

work before h i s own public i n an orderly an d

convenient form .

The last sect i on i n thi s bo o k requires a

word o f explanati on It i s a l i ttle essay on
.

N a t u r e wh i ch i s to b e fou n d w i th a var i ety

of other frag m ents i n the last v o lume of
Goethe s c ollecte d works Too sh o rt to stand
’
.

by itself if it appears at all it must be i n

, ,

company with k i n d re d matter ; an d as a se ri es

o f aphorisms presenting a poet i c view o f Nature
,

u nsurpas sed in its un i on of beauty an d i ns ight ,

it is no inap propriate appen d age to the maxims

o n S c i ence . It i s l i ttle known an d it d eserves
,

t o be wid ely known . I venture to think that

even in Germany the or dinary rea d er is u naware
o f its existence . Fo r us i n Englan d it was so ,

to speak discovere d by P rofess o r H uxley w h o

, ,

many years ago gave a tran slation of it as a

proem to a sc i entific perio di cal P erhaps that .

proem may yet be re c overed as goo d salvage

from the waters o f obl i vion which sooner o r ,

later overwhelm all magaz i nes M eanwh ile I .

put forwar d th1s vers i on .

F or sixty years thi s essay has stood u n q u e s

18 TRANS L ATO R S ’
PREFACE

t i on e d in Goethe s works ; but doubt h as

’

recently been cast on i t s authorshi p The .

account hitherto given rests upon the excellent

ground of Goethe s own d eclarati on The essay
’
.
,

i t appears was wri tten about the year 1 7 8 0 an d

, ,

o ff ere d to the D uchess Amal i a S ome ti me .

after her death it was fo un d amongst her

pape r s and sent to Goethe in M ay 1 8 2 8 whe n
, , , ,

as he wrote to his fr i en d the C hancellor vo n

M uller he c ould not remember ha ving c omposed
,

i t ; although he recognise d the wr iti ng as that

o f a person of whose serv i ces he use d to a v a i l

h imself some fo rty years previously That at .

s o great a di stance o f ti me a prol ific author

c oul d not recall the compositi on of so short a
p i ece is not i n dee d i mprobable ; but Goethe
, ,

pro c ee ded to say that it agreed very well w i th

the panthe i sti c id eas which occupie d h i m at the
age o f thi rty and that his i ns igh t then m ight
,

be cal led a comparati ve whi c h was thus forced ,

to C xpress its stri fe towards an as yet unatta ined

superlative Notwi thstan di n g th is declarati on
.
,

the essay is now cla i me d as the pro d uction o f

a certa i n S wi ss frien d of Goethe s by name ’
,

Tobler o n external evi dence whi ch need n ot be

,

examined here and on the internal e vidence

,
 TRANSL AT O R S
’
PRE F ACE 19

aff orded by the style which is certainly more

,

pointe d and a n titheti c than i s usual with

Goethe . B ut a master of language who
attempte d every k i n d o f compositi on may well
have attempte d this ; an d even t hose who cre dit
an otherwise unknown p erson w i th the actual
wr i ti ng of the essay c an di dly a dm i t that it i s
based upon conversati ons w i th Goethe It is s o
.

clearly inspired with his genius that he can

hardl y be f orced t o y ield the c re di t of it t o
another .
20 TRAN S L A TO R S ’
PREFACE

It i s n o wish or bus i ness of mine to introdu c e

these max i ms by a ddi ng one m o re to the
innumerabl e essays some o f them a d m i r a ble
, ,

wh i ch have be en written on Goe t he I have .

foun d the translati on o f o n e o f h i s works a

har der an d certainly a more profitable task than
a general di scourse on them all ; an d I pro
f o u n d l y b el i eve th at rather than rea d what has
,

been written o n Goethe i t i s very much b etter

,

t o rea d Goethe h i mself . It is in this belief that

I hope the p resent translation may help in a
small way to increase the direct knowle dge
o f h i m in thi s c ountry .B ut there are some
remarks wh i ch I may b e allowe d t o make on the
nature and use o f max i ms an d the pecu l i ar
,

value o f those o f Goethe ; s o far at least as

, ,

they d eal w ith l i fe an d character an d with litera

ture If P rofessor H uxley coul d be i nduce d
.

to publi sh the c o mments which he made to me

as I read h i m the scienti fic maxi ms be si d es ,

being the best of intro d uctions to that se c ti on

o f the book they wo ul d form a keen an d clear
,
22 TRANS L ATO R S ’
PREFACE

where we have the advan t age o f seeing for

o urselves the train o f thought that i n d uce d an d
the occas i on that call e d them forth Terse an d .

pregnant say in gs are scattere d innumerably

through the pages of the finest poets the great ,

orators phil osophers an d h i stori ans wherever

, , ,

they touch the highest level of truth an d i ns ight ;

be it in the lofty interpretati on of l i fe the d e ,

fence o f acti on o r pol i cy the analys i s of char

,

a c ter and con duct or the recor d of progress ;

,

and then it i s that large ideas an d w id e o bse r

v at i o n s take on imperceptibly the nature of

maxim o r aphorism i llum i ni ng l ike po i nts of

, ,

l ight whole fiel d s of thought and experience

, .

A nd the test o f the i r value i s that they lose

l ittl e or nothi ng by be i ng d epri ve d o f the i r par
t i c ul ar co n text an d presente d as truths of gen
eral i mport A collecti on o f proverbs shrew d
.
,

sayings an d po i nte d expressions taken from the

, ,

who l e range o f Greek an d L ati n li terature was ,

m ad e by the i ndustry of Erasmus i n h is great

f o l i o of A d ag i a ; and perhaps some future
s t u d ent
, as dil igent as he may g ather up the
,

apho risti c wis d om i n the wri ti ngs o f mo dern

ti mes. Goethe himself has i n all h is great
works a wealth of aphori s m unsurpasse d by
 TRANSLATO R S
’
PREFACE 23

an
y other writer whatever , even tho u gh it be
Monta i gne or Bacon or S hakespeare ; an d say
i ngs of hi s not t o be foun d i n thi s c ollection
are some o f the b est that he uttere d .

The be setting sin of the max i m wr i ter is to

-

exaggerate o n e s id e o f a matter by neglect ing

another ; to secure po i nt an d emphas i s of style
by l i m i ting the range o f thought ; an d hen c e i t
is that m ost maxims present but a portion o f
truth and cannot b e rece i ve d unqualified Th e y .

must often be brought back to the test o f l i fe

itself and confronted and compared with oth er
,

s id es o f the C xperi en c e they profess to emb o dy .

A n d when a maxim stan ds this tri al and proves

its worth it is not every o n e to whom i t is o f
,

value To some it may be a pos i tive e vi l It

. .

makes th e strongest appeal to those who never

see more than one aspect o f any thing har d ening
,

the i r hearts an d bl u n ting the i r min ds ; an d even

to those who c o ul d make a go o d use of i t there ,

are ti mes when i t may m islea d an d be d anger o us .

M ax i ms i n the i r app l i cati o n seem to nee d some

th i n g o f the phys i c i an s art : they must be
’

han dle d w i th care an d appl i e d w i th di screti on

, .

L i ke powerful d rugs they may act w i th b e ne fi

c ent e fle ct o n a hardy c o nstituti o n ; they may
24 TRANS L AT O R S ’
PREFACE

brace i t to fi t or calm the fever of a i

e or , m s

g u id e d act i v i ty b
; ut great i s the m i sch i ef they
work where the m i n d i s weak disorgan ise d or .

As a m di c i ne may save a man at one time that

e

woul d k i ll h i m at another so the wise c unsel , o

o f to d ay may eas ily b ecom the poisono us e

suggesti o of to m rr
n -
o ow .

Wi th wr i ters who d epen d f effect on mere or

qual iti es of style an d i gn re the we i ghti er mat o

ters of depth an d tr th of observati on Goethe

u ,

has noth i ng in common ; nor with those who

vainly i mag i ne that ins ight is a k i nd of art ,

w i th a method that may be learned an d appl i e d .

By constant practice a man f l i terary talent o

may i t i s true attai n a fa i r mastery f language

, , o

terse an d attracti ve and the set h i mself i f he

, n ,

wi ll to the d el iberate creati on f aphori sti c

, o

w is d om or a philos phy of pr verbs ; m i stak i ng

o o

the d exterous han dling of a comm nplace f o or

the true process f di scovery o The popular .

l i terature f the last generati on suppl i es a

o

terrible i nstance of the length to wh i ch the

manufacture of max i ms can thus be carri e d for ,

a ti me wi th i mmense success ; an d we have

seen how a few years suffi ce to carry them and
the i r author to obs c urity H ow dif f erent is the .
 T RANSLATO R S ’
PREFACE 25

true p ro c ess ! The maxim that in c reases k now

le dge an d enri ches li terature i s of slow an d rare
appearance ; i t spri ngs from a fine faculty of
o b servat i on wh i ch is i n no one s ar bi trament
’

an d only less rare than the gi ft o f utterance

wh i ch a dds C harm to a thought that i tself str i kes
home wi th the p o wer of i mpregnabl e truth .

No amount or i ntens i ty o f e ff o rt wi l l al o ne p r o
d uce i t ; but to the mi n d o f genius i t comes l ike
a su dd en revelat i on flash i ng i ts l i ght o n a long
,

course o f pati ent attention What we call .

!

D i sc ove r y says Goethe

, is the seri o us exerc i se
,
!

an d acti vity of an orig i nal feel i ng f o r truth It .

is a synthes i s o f world and m i n d givi ng the ,

most blesse d assurance o f the eternal harmony

o f thi ngs
”
.

It is the n depth and tr uth an d san i ty o f

, ,

o b servati on wh i ch chi efly mark these say i n gs

o f Goethe It i s no concern o f h i s t o d azzle the
.

mind by the bri ll i ance of h is wi t ; nor d oes he

labour t o say th ings b ecause they are str ik i ng ,

but o nly b ecause they are true H e i s always .

i n c o ntact with realities always a i ming at ,

truth ; an d he takes a k i n dl y an d a generous

V i ew of the worl d H e has n o ne of the d espa i r
.

that d epresses n o ne of the malice that destroys

, .
26 TRANSLATOR S PREFACE ’

There are wri ters who profess to honour a lofty

ideal by a cynical di sparagement f everyth i ng o

that falls short f i t ; who unve i l the selfish

o

recesses f the heart as a m istaken sti mulus t

o o

i ts virtues ; who pay the i r tribute to great work

by b el i ttl i ng human en d eavour Goethe shows .

us a more excellent way Touche d with a

.

profound feel i ng of the worth f l i fe the wi s d om

o ,

of or der the no bil i ty of e ff ort he g i ves us an

, ,

i deal to pursue and sh ws us the means of p ur

o

suing i t O u t of the fulness o f a large e xp e r i

.

ence un i que i n the hi story o f l i terature he

, ,

unfolds the schem e o f a practicable perfect i on ,

an d enforces the lessons he h as learne d from

the stea dy pass i onless an d undaunted observa
, ,

ti o n o f human aff airs .

To Goethe these say ings were merely r efle c

t i on s or op i ni on s ; i t i s hi s l i terary execut o rs

an d h i s e di tors who calle d them by more ambi

ti ous titles so as to challenge a compari s o n
,

w i th certa i n o ther famous b o o ks o f wi se thought .

They are the reflecti o ns o f a long l i fe ri ch i n

al l the i ntell ectu al treasures of the worl d i n i ts ,

versati li ty amaz i ng i n i ts i ns ight wel l n i gh

,
-

fathom l ess a l i fe that i n h i s own w o r ds

, ,

approache d the i nfin ite by followi n g the fini te

 TRANSLATO R S ’
PREFACE 27

on e v ery side S uch a man nee d only speak to

.

utter something i mportant ; an d we o n ou r part

nee d only rememb er h o w w id e was the ran ge
of h i s knowl e dge how fu l l a n d c o mplete h i s
,

ex i stence to set the utmost value o n h i s

,

reflecti ons at the en d o f it B ut that he kne w .

noth ing of the p i nch of poverty an d was spared

the horrors o f di sease that he s u ff ere d no great
,

m isfortu n e an d baske d i n the bright si d e of

,

the worl d fre e from the ills that c o m e to most

,

men th ere was no page of the book o f l i fe that

,

was not thrown open to h i m The things o f .

the m i nd the th i n gs o f art the things o f nature

—
, ,

i n their theory and in the i r practice h e h ad

worke d at them all ; regar ding them as so man y
vari e d m an i festati o ns of an eternal Idea in itsel f
inscrutable an d here unatta i nable There was no .

k i nd o f l i terature w i th wh i ch h e w as unfamili ar ,

whether it was anc i ent or mo d ern o f the East ,

o r o f the West ; an d the great spiritual i n flu

e n ce s of the worl d H ebra i sm H ellen i sm C hr i st

, , ,

i an i t y M e di aevalism —
, at o n e o r another time
,

i n his l i fe he was in touch w i th them all ,

and foun d h i s account in them all In mat .

ters of learning he was occupie d w i th nothing

but what was actual an d concrete ; it was
28 TRANSLATO R S PREFACE ’

only to abstract stu di es to logi c metaphysics , , ,

mathemat i cs that he was i n di ff erent ; i n hi s

,

own phrase he never thought ab out th i nk i ng

, .

There was har dl y any branch of the natura l

sc i ence of h i s d ay that he did not culti vate that ,

he did t h i mself pract i se ; geology m i ner

no ,

alogy botany zoology anatomy meteorology

, , , , ,

opt i cs ; an d he m a d e some remarkable di s c o v

er i es an d the strangest prophec i es To A rt he .

gave a l i fe l o ng d evoti on While still a youth

-
.
,

he wrote an i mportant essay on G o th i c arch i tect

ure ; he engrave d drew pai nte d an d for a ti me
, , ,

took up scu l pture In a l l the h i gher forms o f

.

A rt with the s i ngle ex c epti on of musi c he ha d

, ,

s o much pract i ca l i nterest that he often d o u b t e d

whether i n followi ng L i terature he ha d not

mistaken or at least un d uly narrowe d the
, ,

sphere o f hi s activ i ty H e was l i ttl e abroa d .

,

but no on e ever profite d more by his travels

than Goethe Twi ce he went to Ital y and what
.
,

a c hange o f m i n d was pro d uce d by that change

of sky ! R ome was to h i m a new birth a n e w ,

concepti on of l i fe An d bes ides L iterature

.
,

S c i ence an d Art he b us i e d hi mse l f with Adm i n

, ,

i s t r at i o n w i th th e duti es of the C ourt wi th the

, ,

practi cal d etail s of t h e Theatre ; but ou t of

30 TRANSLATO R S ’
PREFACE

for himself is often the best he can achieve for

others The wh ol e m o ral of Wi lhe l m M e i s t e r i s
.

that a man s first an d greatest d uty whether to

’
,

others o r t o h i mse l f i s to see that h i s bus i n ess

,

i n l ife i s a worthy one and suite d t o hi s capa

c i ti es If he discovers hi s vocati on an d pursues
.

i t steadily he wi ll make hi s outer l ife o f the

,

greatest use an d servi ce to the w o rl d an d at the ,

same ti me pr o duce the utmost harmony wi th i n .

That was wh at Goethe tr i e d to d o i n h i s o w n

person an d he laboure d at h i s self i mpose d task
,
-

wi th a perseverance a real u n s e lfish n e ss an d a

, ,

determi nati on entire ly a dm i rabl e .

It i s al most the la st fr u it o f th i s l i fe of c on
c e n t r at e d act i v i ty the fina l outcome of th i s
,

i n do m itable character that i s here put before ,

us A n d we shall fin d that t o the complex

.

phen o mena of the worl d Goethe appl i e d no

other measure but reason an d the nature an d
nee ds o f man With a ful l consc i ousness of the
.

mysteri es that surroun d our ex istence he never ,

ma d e the futile en d eav o ur to pass b ey o n d the

b ounds of present knowl e dge an d exp e ri e n ce ,

or to resolve contra di ct i ons by man ipul ati ng

the facts In these d etache d reflecti o ns he
.

does i n dee d propoun d a theory an d sketch o ut

, ,
 TRANS L A TO R S’
PREFACE 31

a system of conduct ; but they cannot l ike the ,

Thought s o f P ascal f o r instance b e brought

, ,

un d er a s i ngl e an d d efini te po i nt o f v i ew They .

ar e a m i rr o r of l i fe i tse l f an d the i nner an d

,

o uter facts of l i fe i n all the i r di ve rsity The .

un i ty they possess i s the un i ty that i s stamped

up o n them by the all embrac i ng personality of
-

the i r author always an d unweari e dly stri vi ng

,

to make h i s l i fe systematic di sti nct an d fruit

, ,

f ul ; and to ju d ge them as a whole a man must ,

be able to fatho m so great a gen i us B ut to .

e very o n e in every wal k of l i fe Goethe has a

wor d o f wise counsel as though he un d erstoo d
,

every form of ex i stence and coul d enter i nto i ts

nee ds In a fine passage i n the Wa n d e rja hr e
.
,

he l i kens the thought that thus i n won drous

fashi o n takes a thousan d parti cular shapes to ,

a mass o f qu i cks ilver which as it falls separ

, , ,

ates i nto i nnumera ble glo b ul es sprea di ng out ,

on all s id es A n d wh i l e these sayi ngs may

.

present thoughts i n see m i ng contra dicti on o n e

w i th another as the moment that cal l e d them
,

f o rth presente d thi s o r that s id e of exper i ence ,

the ir i nm o st nature i s a c o mm o n ten dency to

real ise a gre at ideal o f l i fe It i s l i ttl e they owe
.

to the fo rm i n w hi ch they are cast ; they ar e

32 TRAN SL ATO R S PRE FACE ’

no t the elements f an arti stic whole w hich

o

must be se i z e d bef re we can un d erstan d the o

full mean i ng of i ts parts The y are a i l . m sce

l
a n e o us recor d f the shrewdest observation ;
o

an d t rea d them
o they shoul d be rea d a f
as , ew

at a ti me i s l i ke the opportun i ty f repeated

, o

converse w i th a man f extraordi nary gi ft s great

o ,

i ns ight an d the widest culture who touches pro

, ,

fo un dl y an d suggest i vely now thi s now on on ,

that aspect of l i fe an d the worl d an d the progress

o f knowle dge It is the fruit f h i s
.
p o ow n e x er

ie n ce that G ethe gi ves us ; and we shall d

o o

well to th i nk f it as he himse l f th ught of

o o

another book an d to bear in m i n d th at every

,
!

wor d wh i ch we take i n a general sense and

apply to ourselves ha d un der certa i n circum, ,

stances f time an d place a peculiar spec i al

o , , ,

an d di rectly i n di v id ual reference .

”

Goethe is no excepti on to the rest of mank i n d

i n t be ing equally wise at all times an d i n
no ,

the max i ms there are d egrees f va l ue they d o : o

no t al l sh i ne w i th the l i ke b r i ll i ance S me . o

o f them are valua bl e on l y f what they sug or

gest ; of some aga i n i t i s easy to

, ,that they se e

appear as matters f s pecul ati n rather than o o

as certa i nt i es They r i di ffic lti es

. k for
a se u , as
 TRANSLATO R S PREFACE 33 ’

criticism i f poss ible correcti on ; or it may be

, , , ,

they call attenti on to the contrary v i ew an d

inv i te a harmony of Opposites S me f them . o o

make a great d eman d upon abil i ty to o ur

!

un d erstan d a pr verb an d the interpretation ;

o

the words f the wise an d the i r d ark say i gs

o n .
”

The i r value someti mes d epen ds on t h way e

they are v i ewe d the cul ture brought to the i r

,

un derstan di ng the temper i n wh i ch they are

,

approa c he d We look at them and at first

.
,

a d mire ; we change our po i nt f v i ew an d fin d o ,

something to cr i ti cise an d di spute The h

. . o

sc u ri t y f max i ms as Goethe rem i n d s us i s nly

o , , o

relative ; not every th i ng can be expla i ned to

the rea der which was present to the min d of
the wri ter S ome f them seem at first to be
. o

o f l i ttle interest ; on s i de they may even o ne

repel but from another they attract again an d

, ,

w i n perhaps a parti al approval They seem to .

move as we change our pos i ti on an d t be , o

w i thout fixe d certai n character But some

or .
,

aga i n are so clear

, d unm i stakable so i an , m

measurably above cri ti c i sm objecti on that or ,

l ike the furthest of t h e stars they have no

parallax hatever positi on we take their light
: w ,

is ste dfasta .
34 TRANS L A TO R S
’
PREFACE

Let no o n e suppose that in the ma i n Goethe s ’

reflections on l ife ha d never been ma d e before ;

that i t was not so no one kne w b etter than he
, .

A s a preface and note of warning to the m al l ,

he reiterates the words of the preach e r : there !

is no new thi ng un der the s u n ”

Y e s ! says .

Goethe th ere i s nothi ng worth think ing b ut i t

,

h as been thought before ; w e m u st on ly t r y t o

t hi n k i t ag a i n . It i s only when we are faith
!

fu he says elsewhere 1
i n arresti ng an d
,
!

noting our present tho u ghts that we have any ,

joy i n tra di ti on ; s i nce we fin d the b est thought s

alrea dy uttere d the finest feelings alrea dy ex
,

presse d Th is i t i s that g i ves us the percep

.

tion of that harmon i ous agreement to which

man is calle d an d to wh i ch he must conform
, ,

often against h i s wi ll ; as he i s much too fon d

o f fancy i ng that the worl d begins afresh w i th

h i mself ”
. What Goethe means i s that we shal l
d o b est t o find out the truth o f all thi ngs f o r
ourselves for on one s ide truth i s i n di vid ual ;
,

an d that we shall be happy i f o u r i n di vidual

truth i s also un i versal or acc o r ds w i th t h e
,

wi sest thought of the past It i s i n th i s prae .

t i cal light that we must v i ew the max i ms an d ,

1
Wil he l m M e i st er s Wa nde rjah r e ,
Bk . I . ch . 10 .
 TRAN SL A TO R S’
PRE F ACE 35

n ot as mere academic general i ti es It is e asy

.

t o rea d them in an hour an d forget them as

soon ; easy to v i ew them w i th a tep id i nterest
as the w o rk of a great author ; but no one w i l l
f u ll v un d erstan d the value o f any o f them who ,

h as n o t exper i ence enough to know its truth .

Well i s i t for us i f w i th the exper i ence we also

gain the truth ! If an y on e shoul d say that
some of these max i ms are very obvi ous and ,

s o simply true as almost to be platitu d es I ,

would bid him remember that the best e d u c a

tion is often to dis c over these very s i mple truths
for oneself an d learn to s e e how much there is
,

in commonplaces F or those who have grown

.

ol d in the world are ne v er weary o f tel l i ng us

that the further we go the more we shal l find

, ,

in general that the same things will happen

,

to us as have happ ene d to others ; an d i t wi ll

then be our advantage i f we have the same
reflecti ons best o f al l i f we come o f ourse lves
,

to the same conclusions as the w i sest of those

,

who have g o ne b efore us ; next best i f we can ,

really an d i ntel l igently fo l l ow i n the footsteps

of the i r th o ught .

But although the matter o f G o ethe s sayings ’

i s not o ri g i nal i n the sense o f b e i n g n e w to the

36 TRANSLATO R S PRE FACE ’

—
worl d wh ile it orig i nal for h i m s i nce
w as ,

he di sc vere d i t f
o h imse l f an d or his on ow n

path the i r manner i s someth i ng new and t heir

, ,

range i s unparallele d Take any other t f . se o

max i ms you wi ll nowhere i s there, i d e an so w

outlook nowhere so just an esti mate f human

, o

diffi culti es no here an a i m at once lofty an d

, w so

so practi cable Nowhere i s there a larger

.
,

stronger health i er more t lerant view f l ife

, , o o

an d the worl d or an atmosphere clearer of

,

the mists that t often b scure an d di stort

oo o

o ur v i s i on A n d i n the i r express i o nowhere

. n,

i s there l i ttl e f the besetting s i n to sacri fice

so o

truth t o e fl e ct Goethe has none o f the shal l o w

.

mal i ce an d unchari table can d our that with

wri ters o f an earl ier age passed for the pract i cal
wi s d om o f every d ay ; an d we nee d only con
trast hi s max i ms w i th the s i m ilar work of L a
R ochefoucaul d H elveti us an d C h am f o r t a d
, , ,

m i rable as they may b e i n the i r exposure of

human selfishness to d etermi ne on wh i ch s id e
,

i s the greater service to mankin d H ow d i fl e r .

ent the v i ews o f the wor l d taken by h o w many

—
wr i ters ! the secret o f i t al l i s that the men
'

themselves are di fle r e n t .

It was said o f Goethe that hi s heart whi ch ,

38 TRAN SL ATO R S
’
PREFACE

and thi n gs ; but the way of l o ok i ng at it varies

w i th the arti st ; who whatever hi s tra i n i ng m ay
,

have been will see in Nature what he b ri ngs

,

to i t himself A r s e st hom o a d d i t u s n a t u r es
. .

If this b e truly to define the essen ce an d metho d

o f A rt i t i s equally true to say that L i tera t ure
,

is man adde d to l ife ; an d here as there every

, ,

th ing d epends o n the chara c ter and capacity

o f the man .

No one has as yet said that he doubts Goethe s

’

c apacity altho ugh there are many wh o have

,

solemnly pronounce d h i m uninteresti ng The .

cr i ti c w h o can rea d G o ethe s works w ith real

’

attenti o n an d then venture to call them d ul l

, ,

is s i mply sho w ing tha t he has no call to the

o ffice h e assumes or no i nterest i n l i terature o f
,

the highest class What is true of course i s

.
, ,

that Goethe i s profoun dly seri o us an d he is , ,

therefore not always entertai n i ng ; b ut that i s

,

enough to make hi m pass f o r d ul l i n the eyes

of those w h o take l i terature on l y as a pasti me ,

a substi tute for a c i gar o r someth i ng to l ull

,

them t o s l eep when they are ti re d But another .

an d more form id able accusat i on i s ma d e agai nst

Goethe wh i ch afl e c t s hi s character an d woul d ,

go far to d estr o y the va l ue o f his wr i ti ngs i f i t

 T RANS L ATO R S ’
PRE F ACE 39

were true ; but to many it is c uriously i n consi s

tent with the other charge o f b e i ng d ull It .

i s that he is immoral No w o f all the great

.

wri ters of the worl d Goethe is admitte dly the

,

greatest teacher H e i s essenti ally an d frankly

.

di d actic ; an d nowhere i s there s o large an d

worthy a b ody of l i terature from a single pen
which i s informed with so high and so serious a
purpose R oun dly to c all its author i mmoral
.

i s a charge which su fficiently refutes its elf by

i t s o w n ignorance an d absurdity The c harge .

c omes as a rule from those who ju dge l ife by

, ,

the needs an d d uties of a y oung girl and the y ,

confound the whole of morality character and

con du c t in all relatio ns to one s fellow men ’
-

with o n e section o f i t They forget that Goethe

.

was a m an o f the ol d r egi m e ; that h i s faults

were th ose of h i s ti me an d C lass They forget .

that an extreme repugnance to all monasti cism ,

ascetic i sm an d R oman C athol i c i sm i n general

, ,

naturally le d him to pay a di m i n ishe d regar d to

the one virtue o f which the C hri sti an worl d i s
someti mes apt to exaggerate the i mportance an d ,

o n whi c h it is often rea dy to hang all the law and

the prophets To some aga i n Goethe appears

.
, ,

t o b e a supremel y sel fis h w i zar d disse c t i n g ,

40 T RANSLATO R S PREFACE ’

human passion i n the coldest bloo d and making ,

p eti cal cap ital t f the em ti nal tortures he

o ou o o o

cause d i n others Thi s t

. i s a charge whi ch
, oo,

the merest acquai ntance ith his l i fe an d work

w

must f necess i ty refute i t i s t

o s i mple a
: oo

slan der to b e seri ously di scusse d S i nce these .

are charges whi ch have however kept many, ,

estimabl e peopl e fro readi ng Goethe i t may

m ,

be some co nsolation to them to kno w that the

m ax i ms are ent i rely free fro m an y poss i bility
of objecti on on th i s ground .

The element of moral teaching whic h runs

through Goethe s mature works like a gol den
’

threa d r e appears i n the max i ms free an d de

,
-

t ach e d from the poet i c and romanti c environ

ment wh i ch in such varie d shapes i s w o ven
around it in We r t he r Ta sso M e i st e r ab ove
, , ,

all in Fa u st To d o the next d uty ; to meet

.

the claims of each day ; to persist with a singl e

min d an d unwearied e flo rt on a definite pos i ,

t i ve produ c ti v e path ; cheerf ul ly t o renounce

,

what is d en i ed us and v i gorously to m ake t h e

,

best of what we have ; t o restra i n vague d es i res

an d un c ertain aims ; to cease bewa il ing the
vanity o f all th i ngs an d the fleeting n ature o f
this our worl d an d do what we can to make
,
 TR ANSLATO R S ’
PREFACE 4]

our stay in it of lasting u se ,

—these are lessons
whi ch w i ll always b e nee d e d an d all the more ,

nee d e d as l i fe be comes i ncreas i n gly complex .

They are taught in the max i ms w i th a great

var i ety o f appl i cati on an d n o where so concise ly
,

summari se d as in o n e o f them The m i n d .

!

en d owe d w i th active p o wers so i t runs an d

”
, ,
!

keepi ng with a practi cal obje c t to the task that

lies nearest i s the worthiest there i s o n earth
,
”
.

Goethe has been calle d and w i th tru th the , ,

prophet o f c ulture ; but the word i s often m i s

u n d erstood . We ca n not too clearl y see that
what is here meant i s not a mere ran ge o f
i ntellectual knowle dge pursued wi th i dol atrous
,

d evo ti on : i t i s m o ral disc ipline a practical e n ,

d e av o u r forming wise tho u ght and n o ble char

,

acter A n d this is the pro duct not o f learning

.
, ,

but of work : i f we are to know and reali se

what there i s i n us an d make the best o f i t
, ,

o u r aim must be practi c al an d creative Le t !

.

every man he urges ask h imself with which

,
”
,

o f his facult i es he can and will so m ehow i n flu

ence h i s age ”
A n d again : F rom thi s time
.
!

forwar d if a man d oes n o t apply h i mself to

,

some art or h andi work he w ill be in a bad way

, .

In the rapid changes o f th e worl d knowledge is ,

42 TRANSLATO R S ’
PREFACE

no longera furtheran c e By the time a man .

h as t aken note of everyth i ng he h as lost h i m ,

se l f The culture of wh i ch he speaks i s not

ma i nly i ntell ectual We use the w o r d i n a way
.

that i s apt to l i m i t an d conceal i t s mean i ng ,

an d we o ften app ly i t to a strange form o f

mental growth at once stunte d an d overfe d to
, ,

whi ch i f we may ju d ge by i ts fru i ts any breath

, ,

o f real culture woul d b e fatal It has n o thi ng .

to d o w i th learn i ng i n the general an d narrow

sense of the wor d o r w i th the often p ern i c i ous
,

e ff ects of mere learn i ng In the language of .

the hour we are wont to g i ve the exclus i ve

name of culture to a wide acquai ntance w i th
books an d languages ; whether o r not i t results ,

as i t has b efo re now resulte d i n a want o f ,

culture i n character an d outwar d d emeanour ,

in ai rs of conceit i n fool i sh arrogance i n mal i ce

, ,

an d acri mony .

A uniform ac ti vi ty with a moral ai m

that i n Goethe s v i ew is the h ighest we can
,
’
,

achi eve in life C haracter i n matters great

.
!

an d small c ons i sts he says i n a man stea di ly

, ,
!

pursui ng the thi ngs of wh i ch he feels h i m

self capable .
”
It i s the go spel of w o rk : o ur
en d eavour must b e to re al i s e our best self in
 TRAN S A TO S PREFACE L3 R ’
4

deed and a c tion ; to strive u til person n o ur

al i ty attains i n A rist tle s word i t entelechy ’ ‘

, o , ,

its full d evelopment B y th i s alone can we .

res lve all the d oubts an d hesitations and

o c on

fli t
c s within that un d ermi ne and destroy the
soul . Try to d o your d uty an d you will
!
,

know at once what y are worth A nd with ou .

”

all our d oi ng what should be the goal f, o o ur

activi ty In no w i se
! self o ur ow n , our ow n

weal .A man i s happy only when he delights

in the goodwill f others an d we must f a o ,
”
o

truth give up existe ce i n ord er to exist

!
n

we must never suppose that happiness i s iden

tical with personal welfare In the moral S phere .

we nee d Kant taught a ca t egori cal impera

, as ,

tive ; b t says Goethe that i s

u , t the en d f , no o

the matter ; it is only the beginning We must .

wid en o u r c o nception o f duty an d recogn i se a

perfect morality only where a man loves what !

he comman ds h i mself to d o ”
V oluntary d e .
!

e n de n c e is the best state and how should

p ,

that be p o ss i ble without love ! ”

A n d just i n
the same sense Goethe ref uses to regar d a ll self
d enial as vi rtuous but only the self denial that ,
-

leads to some useful end All other forms o f .

it are immoral since they stunt an d cramp the ,

44 TRANSLA TO R S ’
PREFACE

free development Of what is best in us —the

des ire namely t o deal e fl e ct i v e ly with our
, ,

present l i fe an d make the most and fairest

,

Of i t .

A n d here it is that Goethe s moral co de 18 ’

f use d w ith his religi o us belief P i ety he

”
.
!
,

says i s not an en d but a means : a means of

,
!

atta i n i ng the h i ghest culture by the purest tran

qu ill i ty o f soul This i s the piety he preach e s ;
.

not the morbi d introspe c tion that lea ds to no

useful end the state of broo ding melancholy the
, ,

timorous self abasement the anxious speculati on

-
,

as to some other c on di ti on of being A nd thi s .

tranqu ill i ty Of soul Goethe taught that it sho ul d

,

be ours in S p i te o f the thousan d i lls Of life

,

which give us pause i n our Optimism It is .

attained by the firm assurance that somewhere ,

and somehow a power exists that makes for,

'

moral goo d ; that our moral en deavours are met ,

so to speak half way by a moral or der in the

,
-

un i verse which comes to the ai d O f in divi d ual

,

eff ort A nd the sum an d substance O f hi s teach

.

ing whether i n the m ax i ms or i n any other of

,

h i s m ature pro d uctions i s that we must res i gn ,

ourselves to th i s power i n grat i tu d e and rev ,

erence towards i t an d all i ts manifestations

46 TRANSL ATO R S ’
PREF ACE

how he views attempts to reach it i n th at way .

C r e d o D e um.
’ that he remin d s us here
”
, is ,
!

a fine a worthy thi ng to say ; b ut to recogn i se

,

Go d when an d where he reveals hi m self i s the ,

only true bl i ss on earth ”

A ll else i s myste ry
. .

We are n ot born as he said to E ckermann to

, ,

s o l ve the problems of the world but to fin d out ,

where the pro blem begi ns an d then to keep ,

withi n the l i m i ts o f what we can grasp The .

probl em he urge d i s transforme d i nto a postu

, ,

late : i f we cannot get a solution theoreti cally ,

we can get it i n the exper i ence Of practical l i fe .

We reach i t by the use o f an act i ve sc e pt i !

o f wh i ch he says that it conti nually

”
cis m
!
,

a i ms at overcom ing i tself an d arriving by means

of regulated experience at a kin d of conditi one d
certainty But he would have noth i ng to d o
wi th d octrinal systems an d l ike S chi l ler p ro
, , ,

fessed none o f the forms of rel ig i on from a

feel i ng of rel igion itself To se e h ow he vi ews
.

some parti c ular questi ons of theology the read er

may turn wi th profit to h i s max i ms on the
R eformation and early C hristia ni ty an d to hi s ,

admirable remarks on the u se an d ab use of the

Bible . T h e basis of religi on was for hi m i ts
o w n earnestness ; and it was not always nee d ful ,
 TRANS A O S PRE FACE L T 47
R ’

h e h eld f t ruth to take a de finite s hap e it

, or :
!

i enough if it ho v ers about u s like a s p irit and

s

pro d uces h armony .

”
I believe he said t !
,
”
o

E ckermann in Go d an d Nat re and the vi c

,
!
u

tory f goo d over evi l ; but I was also asked to

o

bel i eve that th ree was an d was three one , one .

That jarred upon my feeling for truth ; and I

di d not s e e how it could have h elped me in the
As f o r letting o u r min ds roam be y ond
”
leas t .

thi s present life he thought there w as actual

,

dange r in it ; although he looked for a future

existen c e a c ontinuat i on o f work and a c tivity
, ,

in w hi c h what is here in c omplete sho ul d rea c h

i t s full develo p ment A n d whatever be the
.

se c re t s Of the univ erse assuredly the best we ,

c an do is to d o o ur best here ; an d th e worst of

blasphemies i s t o regard th i s li f e as altogeth er
vanity ; f or as these pages tell u s it would ,
!

not be worth whi le to se e seventy years if all

the wisdom o f thi s world were foolishness with
”
G od .

In Goethe we p ass as over a bridge from , ,

the e i ghteenth c entury to the nineteenth ; b ut

though he lived t o s e e a third o f the nineteenth
century he hardl y belongs t o it O f i t s political
, .

characteristics he ha d few or none H e was .

48 TR A NS L A TO R ’
S PRE FACE

no democrat A s the prophet Of inward culture

.
,

he t o ok the F rench R evoluti on for a di sturb

ance an interruption an d not a d evelopment
, ,

i n the progress of the worl d s history ; and for ’

all its horrors and the pernic i ous demoral isati on

o f i ts lea d ers he had the profoundest aversion
, .

B u t afterwar d s he came to see that i t ha d be ne

fic i al results ; that a revoluti on i s ul t i mately
never the fault Of the people but of th e injustice ,

an d incapacity of the governme n t ; an d that

where there i s a real ne c ess i ty for a great
refo rm the O l d leaven must be roote d out
,
1
.

B ut he knew the d anger o f such a pro c ess and ,

he indi c ates it here in an admirable say i ng :

!
Before the F rench R evolution it w as all ef f or t ;
afterwar d s it all change d to d e m a n d and
th i s may be supplemente d by h i s Opinion on
the nature of revolutionary sentiments : M en
think they woul d be well O E if the y were n o t -

rule d an d fa i l to perceive that they can rule

,

ne i ther themselves nor others A n d if he .

,

ha d thus no theoret i cal sympathy w ith dem o

crati c movements he ha d l i ttl e feel i ng f o r that
,

other great political ten dency o f o u r ti me

national ity ; convinced as he was that interest
1
G esp r dch e m i t E cke r m a nn , II I . 4 ! a
anu r y , 18 24 .
 TR ANSL ATO R S ’
PREFACE 49

in th e weal and woe o f another people is always

a mark O f the h ighest culture But apart from .

p o l iti cs there i s one characteri sti c O f our o w n

ti me in whi ch he fully an d espec ial ly shares i f ,

only for the reason that he d i d much h i mself

to pro d uce i t ; an d here i n he has i nfluence d us
p rofoundly and i s i nfluenc ing us still The .

nineteenth century has thi s a d vantage o v er

every p rece di ng age that in i t for the first time
,

honest doubt i nstead O f distingui shing a few

, ,

has become a common virtue Goethe is o n e .

o f the surest and safest O f those who have led

t h e transition We pra i se the eighteenth c en

.

tury he wri tes for concerning itself chiefly

,
”
,
!

w i th analysis The task r e m arm n g t o the n i ne

.

t e e n t h i s to di scover the false syntheses wh i ch

prevail an d to analyse their contents anew
, .

O f the aim o f analys is and the proper course

o f i nquiry , no o n e has g i ven a b etter account
than Goethe in what he says in the words I ,

have quote d about active scepti cism ; an d i n

,

the sphere O f morals an d religi on i t w i ll perhaps

be fo un d h ereafter that he has contribute d i n ,

some degree at least to the attainment o f that

,

!
condi ti one d c ertainty f o r whi c h as we h O pe
”
, , ,

all o ur e fforts are made .

50 TR ANS L ATO R S ’
PRE F ACE

In the maxims o n L iterature th ere is some

ex c ell ent cri ticism on l i terary methods and ,

much that may well be taken to heart by cer

tai n wri ters of o u r own d ay Goe t he ha d li ttl e
.

but rebuke for the whole O f the romanti c move

m ent wh i ch began i n h i s O l d age
, The German .

form of i t he thought unnatural and at best ,

a conventi onal im i tat i on Of an earlier peri od ;

and the French form o f which Victor H ugo
,

was then the ri sing star he thought a perver

,

sion o f naturalism an exaggeration o f it until

,

it became insipid or merely re v olting To .

Byron alone he gave the tri bute Of the most

u ngrudging a dmiration : in the Oppos ition be
tween classic i sm and romanticism he decl i ned ,

to take him for a f o llower o f either but as the ,

complete representative of h i s o w n time The .

max i m that the classical is health and

!
,

the romantic d isease may not altogether com

,
”
,

men d itself to us n o w ; but with wonderful

insight Goethe foresaw the d irecti on i n wh i ch
the romanti c movement would lea d The .
!

romant i c he says here

,
”
is alrea dy fallen i nto
,
!

i ts ow n abysm It is hard to imagi ne anythi ng

.

more d egra de d than the worst o f the new

produc tions . If he could have sai d th is two
 TR ANS L ATO R S ’
PRE F A C E 51

generations ago what would h e have said n ow !

,

H o w could he have spoken without c ontempt

o f those w h o make all that is common and n u

clean i n i tself a subject with which literature

may properly be occupied ! These are the
writers who profess to be real ists under a
‘

completely mistaken notion Of what real ism

means as ap pl ie d to art ; and to them the
,

chief realities seem t o be just the v ery things

that d ecent people kee p o u t o f sight They .

forget that in literature as in all art the domi

, ,

nating realities are the hi ghest Ideals As .

an antidote to this poison o f corru p tion Goeth e

pointed t o the an c ient world and bid us study
,

there the typ es o f the lofti est manh oo d .

Bodies whi c h r o t wh ile th ey are sti ll alive

and are e di fie d by the detailed contemplation
o f t h eir o w n decay ; dead men who remain i n

the world for the ruin o f others and fee d the i r

,

death o n th e living — to this h e ex c laime d

”
, ,

!
have come o ur makers of literature When .

the same thing h appene d in antiquity it was ,

o nl y as a strange token of some rare disease ;

but with the moderns the d isease has be c ome
endemic and epidemic . Akin to these pseudo
realists and c oming under th e same ban are
, ,
S2 ANSL ATO R S PREFACE
TR ’

some of mo d ern novel writers who d o i

o ur -
, n

dee d avo id the d epth f d egra dati on but try to

, o ,

move the feelings by d well i ng i n a s i m ilar fash

i on matters which are not and ever can be
on , n ,

fit subjects f literary treatment ; such as pa i nful

O

d eaths by horrible di tempers or the m i nute

s ,

d etails of prolonged operati ons It is poor skill .

that cannot find materi al eno gh i n the mor l u a

suff eri ngs Of men and women and i s d riven to ,

seek e ffect in d escriptions of disease an d sur

gery S urely i n any l i terature worthy f the
. O

name these are top i cs whi ch a r i cher imagina

t i on an d a more proli fic art would have found
unnecessary and better taste woul d h av e left
,

u d escrib e d
n .

To another class Of writers those who

han dle a pretty p en wi thout having anythi ng
defin i te t o present or anything important to
,

say Goethe has also an appl i cable word It i s a

, .

class wh i ch i s always i ncreas i ng i n numb er an d ,

ten ds to i ncrease i n talent We may a dmit that

.

secon d or thi r d rate work espec i a lly i n poetry

-
, ,

was never before d one so we l l as i t i s d one now ;

an d still we may fin d s o me useful truth i n a
distincti on whi ch Goethe drew for the benefit
o f the m i nor poets an d the minor prose writers -
54 TRANS L ATO R S
’
PREFACE

well as of warning It bids th e trans lator sp are

.

no e ff ort but tells him that at a certai n po int

,

his e ff orts are of no avai l But none the less

.
,

Goethe might have a dd e d the faithful translator

,

must strive as i f thi s h i n drance to perfecti on

di d not exist ; for it i s thus only that he o r any ,

one else can d o anyth i ng worth d oing O n

, .

methods of translation much may be sa id and i t ,

i s sometimes urged in a gi v en case that it i s

, ,

n o t l i teral or that it is too free A di stinguishe d

.

writer has recently lai d d own that a translation

shoul d repro d uce every word an d phrase and
sentence o f the original as accurately as a deli
cate tracing reproduces the l i nes of a d rawing .

Thi s is advice whi ch may hol d in the school

room but I venture to ma i ntai n n owhere else
, , , .

In so far as every language h as a pecul i ar

gen i us a l i teral translati on must necessarily be
,

a bad one and any fa i thful translation will o f

i ts nature be free In other words a translator
.
,

will err i f he slavishl y a dheres to mere expres

s i on he must have complete l iberty to gi ve h i s
author s mean i ng an d style in the manner wh i ch
’

he hol ds to be truest to the ori g i nal ; an d so i n ,

translati ng from a fore ig n tongue it will be ,

well for hi m to have some knowle dge o f h i s

 TRANS A O S PRE F ACE SS L T R ’

ow n . But h e m u st guard against the ab use f o

his position hi liberty may be c om e l i cense and

: s ,

h i s translation instea d f b eing fa i thful may O

be phantasti c The translator s first and last

.
’

duty i s then to e f face himself H i s first duty

, , .

is to stan d entirely at the point f view Of h i O s

author s thought ; hi last to fin d the clearest

’
s ,

an d nearest expression i n his language b th ow n o

f
or that thought an d for whatever i s character
i t i in the way f convey ing i t ; neither adding
s c o

an ything of hi nor taking away anything

s ow n

from h i s author The best translati on i s thus .

a re embodiment Of t h author s spir i t a real

-
e
’
,

metempsychosis Nothi g can be d one without . n

ideals an d this is the id eal at wh i ch the present

,

tra slation a i ms That i t fa ils f its a i m an d

n . o

has many d efe c ts knows better than , no on e

the translator himself ; an d he can only cheri sh

the h p that where he fal l s short he i s some
O e

times close to the c onfines f what c annot be o

translate d .

De c b em er 2 , 18 92 .
L I FE AND C HARAC T ER
60 M AXI MS A ND REFLEC TI O NS OF GOE THE
S
The longer I live the more it gri eves me t o
,

s e e man who occup i es h i s supreme place f o r

,

the ve ry purpose O f i mp o s i n g h i s w ill up o n

nature an d free i ng h i mself an d h i s from an
,

outrageous necess i ty — to see hi m taken up

,

with some false notio n an d d o i ng just the ,

opposite o f what he wants to d o an d then ,

because the whole bent o f hi s mind i s sp oilt ,

bungli n g miserably over everything .

Be genuine an d strenuous ; earn for yourself ,

an d look for grace from those i n hi gh places ;

,

from the powe rful favour ; fro m the acti ve

,

an d the goo d advancement ; fr o m the many

, ,

a ff e c tion from the i n di vidual lo v e , .

7
Tell me w i th wh om y ou asso c iate and I will ,

tell you who y ou are If I know what y our .

business i s I know what c an be made of you

,
.

y
Ever m m us t think after h is ow n fashion ;
an

for on h i s o w n path he fin d s a truth o r a k i n d ,

 LIF E A ND CHARAC TER 61

of truth which helps him through life But

, .

he must not give himself the re i n ; he must

control h i mself ; mere nake d instinct does n o t
be c ome him .

U nqual ified
activi ty Of whate ver , kind , leads
at last to bankrupt c y .

In the works of mank ind as in those o f ,

nature it i s really th e motive wh i c h i s ch iefly

,

worth a t tention .

M en get countenan c e with thems elves

out of

an d others because they treat th e means as the

en d and so from sheer doing d o nothing o r
, , , , ,

p erhap s just what the y would have av oided

, .

O plans and designs should be s o pe rfe c t

ur

in truth and beauty that in touching them the ,

worl d c ould only m ar We should thu s have .

the advanta ge Of setting right what i s wrong ,

and restori ng what i s d estroye d .

62 A I
M X M S AND REFLE CTI O NS O F GO E T HE
I 3

It i s a v ery hard and tro ublesome thing t o

dispose o f whole half and quarter mistakes
,
-

to sift them and assign the portion of truth to

i t s prop er p la c e .

14

It i s not always needful f or truth to take a

definite shape ; it i s enough if i t hovers about
us like a S pirit and produ c es harmony ; if it

is wafted thr ough the air like th e so u nd o f

a bell grav e and kin dl y
, .

I S
General ideas and great c on c eit are always
in a fair way t o bring about terrible m is fortu ne .

1 6

Yo u c annot play the fl u te by blowi n g alone

y o u must your fingers
u se .

I 7

In Botany th ere is a spe ci es O f plants c alled

I n com p le t os ; and j ust i n the same way it can
be said that there are men who are incomplete
and imp erfe c t The y are those wh ose desires
.
 L IF E A ND CHARACTER 63

and struggles are o u t o f pro p ortion to th eir

actions an d a c hie v ements .

1 8

The most insignifi c ant man can be c omplete

if he wor ks within the limits o f his c ap a c ities ,

innate o r a c quire d ; but even fine talents can

be obsc ure d neutralis e d and destro y ed by la ck
, ,

Of thi s in di spe n sable requirement of s ymmetry .

This i s a mis c hi ef whic h will O ften o ccu r in

modern times ; f or w h o will be able t o come
u p to the c laims O f an age s o f ull and intense

as t his and o n e t o o that mo v es S O ra p i dl y !

,

I 9
It i s o nl y men o f p ractical ability k nowing
,

their powers and using them with moderation

an d p rudence wh o will be su cc ess ful in worl dl y
,

It is a great error to tak e oneself for more

than o n e i s o r f or less than o n e is worth
, .

2 1

F rom time time I meet with a y o uth in

to
whom I can wi sh for n o al t e ration or im p ro ve
64 M AXI MS A ND REFLEC TIO NS OF GO E THE
ment o nl y I am sorry to s e e how Often his
,

nature makes h i m qu ite rea dy to swim wi th

the stream Of the time ; an d it i s on thi s that
I w o ul d always insist that man in h i s fragi le
,

boat has the ru dder place d i n h i s han d just that ,

he may not be at the m ercy Of the waves but ,

follow the di rection of h is o w n ins ight .

But how i s a young man to come of himself

t o se e bl ame i n things wh i ch every one i s bus y
with whi ch every one approves and p romotes !
,

Why shoul d he not follow his natural bent and

go in the same d irection as the y !

2 3
I must hol d i t for the greatest c alamity O f
o u r t i me which lets nothi ng come to maturity
, ,

that o n e moment i s consume d by the next an d ,

the day spent i n the d ay ; s o that a m an is

always l i vi ng from han d to mouth w ithout ,

havi ng anythi ng to S how for i t H ave we not .

al rea dy newspapers for every hour o f the d ay !

A go o d hea d coul d assure dly i ntercalate on e
o r other o f them They pu bl ish abroa d every
.

thi ng that every o n e d oes or is busy with or

,
 L IF E A ND CHARAC TER 6S

me di tating ; nay h i s very d esigns are thereby

,

dragge d i nto publ i c ity No o n e can rejoi ce or

.

be sorry but as a pas time for others ; an d so

,

i t g o es on fro m house to house from c i ty ,

to c i ty from k i ng d om to ki n n m an d at last
from o n e hemisp here to the other —all in post
, ,

haste .

2 4

As little as y o u c an stifle a steam engine -

,

so little c an y o u do th i s in t h e m oral sphere

e i ther The a c tivity of commerce the rush

.
,

and rustle o f paper mone y t h e swell i ng up o f

-
,
-

—
debts t o p ay debts all these are the monstrous
elements t o wh i ch in these d ays a young man
i s exposed Well is it for h i m if he i s gi fted
.

by nature with a sober qu i et temperament ; ,

neither to make claims on the world o ut of all

proportion to h is position nor yet let the worl d ,

d ete rm ine it .

2 5
But o n all s id es he i s threatened by the S pir i t
o f the day an d nothi ng i s more nee d ful than
,

t o make h i m see early enough the di rection i n

which h is w ill has to steer .
66 M AX IMS A ND RE FL EC TIO NS OF GOE THE
2 6

The S ignificance o f the most h armless words

an d act i ons grows w ith the years an d if I se e ,

any one about me for any length o f time I ,

a l ways try to show hi m th e diff eren c e there is

b etween sincerity c onfi dence and i ndiscretion ;
, ,

nay that i n truth there is n o d i ff erence at all

, ,

but a gentle transition from what is most

i nnocent to what is most hurtful ; a transition
which must be p er c eived o r rather felt .

2 7

H erein we m ust exerc ise tac t ; oth erwise

o ur

i n the very way in which we have w o n the

favour O f manki n d we run the r is k O f trifling
,

it away agai n unawares This is a lesson whi ch

.

a man learns qu i te well for hi mself in the

course O f life but only after having paid a
,

d ear price for it ; nor can he unhappily spare , ,

h i s posterity a like expendi ture .

2 8

L ove oftruth shows i t s elf i n this that a ,

man knows how to find and value the goo d

i n everythi n g .
68 MAX I M S A ND REFLEC TIO NS OF GO E THE
34

A
man i s really al i ve o nly when he del ights
in the goo d wi ll of others .

35

P i ety is not an en d but a means a , : means

of atta i n i ng the highest c ulture by the purest
tranquillity f soul o .

36

H ence it may be Observ ed that th ose wh o

s e t up p i ety as an en d and Obje c t are mostly

hypocrites .

37

When a man is Old h e m ust do more th an

when he was y oung .

3 8

To fulfil a duty is still always to feel it as a

debt for it is never qu i te sati sfying to oneself
, .

39
D efe c ts
are perce i ve d only by o n e w h o has
no l ove ; therefore to see them a man must
, ,

b ecom e unchari table but not more s o than is

,

necessary f or the purp ose .

 LIFE A ND CHARAC TER 69

4 0

T h e greatest piec e o f good fortune is that

w hi c h c or r e c t s o u r d efic i encies and re d eems o u r

mistakes .

R eading ough t to mean un d erstan di ng ;

writing ought to mean knowing somethi ng ;
be lievi ng ought to mean c omprehen ding ; when
y o u d es i re a th i ng y
, o u will ha v e to take i t ;
when you d eman d it you wi ll n o t get i t ; an d
,

when y ou are experien c ed y ou ought to be ,

useful t o others .

4 2

The stream is frien dly to the miller wh om it

serves ; it l ikes to pour over the mill wheels ;
what i s the good O f it stealing through the
valle y in apathy !
43

Whoso i s content w i th pure experience an d

acts up o n it h as enough of truth The grow i n g .

chi l d i s wise i n thi s sense .

44

Theory is in i tself of n o use except i n s o far

,

as i t makes us beli e ve in the c o nnecti o n o f

phenomena .
70 M AX IMS A ND RE F LECTI ONS O F GOE THE
45

When a man asks t o o mu c h and delights in

compl i cation he is exposed to perplexity
, .

46

Thinking by means Of analog i es is not t o be

condemne d A nalogy h as thi s a d vantage that
.
,

it comes t o n o conclusion and d oes not in , ,

truth a i m at finality at all In du c ti on o n the

, .
,

c ontrary is fatal for i t se t up an Object and

, ,
s

keeps it in view an d work i ng on towards it

, , ,

drags false and true with it in i t s train .

47

The absent works upon us by tra di tion Th e .

usual form Of it may be called his t ori c al ; a

hi gher form akin to the i magi native faculty i s
, ,

the my thi c al If some thi r d form of it is to

.

be sought be hind thi s last and it h as any ,

meaning it is transforme d i nto the my sti cal

, .

It also eas ily be c omes sentimental so that we ,

app ropriate to our use only what s ui ts us .

48

In c ontemplati on as i n acti on we must ,

di st i ngu i sh between wh at may be atta i ned

an d what is unatta i nable W i thout thi s l i ttle
.
,

can be a c h i e ved e i ther in l i fe o r in knowle dge

, .
 LIF E A ND CHARA CTER 71

49

le ge ni e d e l hu m
’ ’
‘
Le se n se c om m un e st ani t é
.

C ommon sense which is here put forward as

-
,

the gen i us Of human i ty must be exam i ned first

,

Of all in the way i t shows i tself If we inqui re .

the purpose to wh i ch human i ty puts i t we find ,

as follows : H uman i ty is con di tioned by nee d s .

If they are n o t sati sfie d men become i mpatient ;

,

an d if they are it seems not to affect them

,
.

The normal man moves between these two

states and he ap pl i es is un d erstan d i g
h n — hi s
—
,

s o c all ed c ommon s ense

-
to the satisfacti on o f
hi s nee ds When his needs are satisfie d h i s
.
,

ta s k i s t o fill u p th e waste spa c es o f in di ff eren c e .

H ere t o o he i s suc c essful if h is needs are c on

, , ,

fined to what is nearest and m ost ne c essary .

But if they rise an d pass beyon d the sphere

Of or dinary wants c ommon sense is no longer
,
-

suffi cient i t is a genius n o more and h umanity ,

enters on the region o f error .

5 0

Th ere is no p ie c e of foolishness but it c an be

corrected by intelli gence o r ac c i d ent ; no piece
o f wisdom but i t can miscarry by lack O f i n t e l l i

gence or by a cc ident .
72 M AXIMS A ND REFLEC TI O NS OF GO E THE
5 1

Every great id ea is a tyrant when it first

appears ; hen c e the a dvantages whi ch it pro
duces change all too qui ckly into disa dvan t ages .

It is poss ible then to d efen d an d pra ise any

, ,

insti tut i on that exists i f i ts begi nnings are

,

brought t o rememb ran c e an d it is S hown that ,

everythi ng whi ch was true o f it at the begin

ning i s true Of it still .

5 2

who chafed under the sense O f

L essing ,
various l imitati ons makes one of his characters
,

say : No o n e m u st d o anyth i ng A C lever .

pi ous man sai d : If a man w i lls something he ,

must d o it A thir d who was it i s true an

.
, , ,

e ducate d man ad de d : Wi ll follows upon i n sight

, .

The whole circle Of know le dge w i ll an d n e ce s , ,

si t y was thus bel i eved to have been c omplete d .

’
B ut as a rule a man s knowledge of whatever
, , ,

k i n d it may be d etermines what he shall d o

,

an d what he sh all leave un d one an d s o i t ,

is that there i s no more terrible s ight than

ignoranc e in action .
 L IFE A ND CHARAC T ER 73

53
T h ere are two powers that mak e f or p ea c e
wh at is right and what i s fitting
, .

54
J usti c e insists o n obl igati on law o n decoru m
, .

J ustice weighs an d d ec id es law super i nten ds

,

an d orders . J ustic e refers to th e in divi d ual ,

law t o society .

55
The h isto ry o f knowledge is a great fugue in
which the voi c es o f the nations o ne after th e
other emerge .
74 M A X I M S AND RE FLE CTIONS O F GO E T HE

5 6

If a man i s to ach i eve all that is asked o f hi m ,

he must take h imself for more than he i s and as ,

long as he d oes not carry it to an abs ur d length ,

we willingly put up with it .

57
W ork makes c om p anionshi p .

5 8

P eo ple whip curd s to se e i f th e y c annot mak e

cream of th em .

59
It i s mu c h eas ier t o put y o u rself in th e
position O f a m i n d taken up with the most
absolute error than o f on e whi ch mirrors to
,

itself h alf truths

-
.

6c

Wis d om lies only in truth .

76 M AXIMS A ND RE FLEC TIO NS OF GO E THE
67

M en d o not c ome to know o n e another eas ily ,

even with the b est will an d the best purpose .

A n d then i ll will comes i n and distorts

-

everything .

68

We Sh ould
know on e another better i f on e
man were not so anxious t o p ut hi m self on an
equal i ty with another .

69

men are therefore i n a worse pl i ght

Eminent
than others f or as we cannot compare ourselves
,

with them we are on the watc h for them

, .

7 0

In the world the po i nt i s not to know men , ,

but at any given moment to b e cleverer than the

man who stan d s b efore y o u Y ou can prove thi s
.

at e very fair an d from every charlatan .

7 1

v y h
Not e er w ere where there is water , are
th ere frogs ; but wh ere you have frogs there ,

yo u will find water .

 LIF E A ND CHARAC TER 77

7 2

Erroris quite right as long as we are young ,

but we must not carry it on with us into o u r

Ol d age .

Wh i ms and eccentric i ties that gro w stale are

all useless rank nonsense
,
.

73
In the formation of spe c ies Nature gets as it ,

were into a cu l d e sa c ; she c annot make her

,
- -

way through and is disin c l i ned to turn back

, .

H en c e th e stubbornness of national ch ara c ter .

74
E very has something in hi nature whi c h
o ne s ,

if he were to ex p ress it Openl y would Of , n e ce s

si t y give off en c e .

75

If a man thinks about hi s phy si c al or moral

condition he generally fin ds that he i s ill
, .

7 6

Nature asks that a man should sometimes be

st u pe fie d without goin g to sleep ; hence t h e

pleasure in the smoking of toba cc o the drinking ,

Of bran dy the use Of Opiates

, .
78 A I
M X M S A ND REFLEC TIO NS O F GO E THE
77

The man who is up an d d oing should see to it

that what he does i s ri ght Whether or not .

r i ght i s d one is a matter which should not

,

trouble hi m .

7 8

M any a man knocks about the wall w ith

h is hammer and bel i eves that
, hits the right
nai l on the head every time .

79

P ai nting and tattoo i ng Of the body is a return

to an i mal i sm .

80

H istory writing
-
is a way of getting rid Of
the past .

81

W h at a man does not understand he does not ,

possess .

82

No t
eve r y o n e who has a pregnant thought
del ivere d to hi m becomes pro ductive it
probably makes h i m th i nk O f something w i th
whi ch he is quite famili ar .
 L IFE A ND CHARA C TER 79

83

vu
Fa o r, as a s mbol y of sovereignty , is e xe r

c i se d by weak men .

84

Ever yman has enough power le f t to c arry

o ut that o f whi ch he is convin c ed .

85

M emory may vanish so long as at th e

moment j u dgment does n ot fail you .

86

NO nation gains th e power o f judgment exce p t

it c an pass ju dgment o n itself B ut to attain .

this great pr i v ilege takes a very long time .

87

Instead o f contra di cti ng my words p eople

ough t t o a c t i n my S pirit .

88

Those wh o o p pose intellectual truths do

stir up the fire and the C in d ers fly abo u t
,

burn wh at they ha d else not touch ed .

80 M A X I M S A ND REFLEC TIO NS O F GOE THE
89

M an would not b e the finest creature in th e

worl d if he were not too fine for it .

9 0

Wh at a long time people were vai nly dis p ut

i ng about the A ntipodes !
9 1

C ertain minds must be allowed th eir

ar i t i e s .

S no w is false purity .

93
Whoso S hrinks from ideas en ds by having
noth ing but sensations .

94
Those from whom we are always learning
are r i ghtly called o u r masters ; but not every
o n e who teaches us d eserves this title .

95
It i s with y o u as with the se a : the most
vari e d names are given t o what i s in the end
only salt wa ter .
 L IFE A ND C HARAC T ER 81

9 6

It i s said th at vain self p raise sti nks in the

-

nostrils That may be s o ; but for the kind o f

.

smell whi c h c omes from unjust blame by others

the public h as no nose at all .

97

There are p roblemati c al natures whi c h are

equal to no position in whi c h th ey find them
selves and which no position satisfies This it
, .

i s that causes that hi d eous conflict whi c h wastes

life and de p ri v es it Of all pleasur e .

9 8

If we do any real goo d it i s mostly , c la m , vi ,

e t p r e ca r i o .

99

D irt glitters as long as the su n shines .

It i s di fficult t o be just to the pass i ng

moment We are bored by it if it is ne i ther
.

good nor bad ; b ut the goo d moment lays a

tas k up on us and the ba d moment a bur d en
, .
82 M AXI M S A ND RE FLEC TIO NS O F GOE THE

is the happiest man wh o can s e t th e end

He
Of his life in c onnection with the beginning .

S o obstinately c ontra di ctory i s man that you

c annot compel him to h i s a dvantage , yet he
yiel ds before everythi g that for c es hi
n m to hi s
hurt .

10 3

F oretho ugh t i s simp le afterthough t manifold

, .

10 4

A
state o f things in which every day brings
some new trouble is not the ri ght o n e .

10
5

When people suff er by fai ling t o look before

them nothing is commoner than tryin g to look
,

out for some poss ible reme dy .

10 6

The H indoos o f th e D esert mak e a solemn

v ow to cat n o fis h .
84 I
M A X MS A ND REFL EC TIO NS O F GOE THE

In art and knowle dge as also i n d eed and

,

acti on everyth i ng depen ds o n a pure appr e h e n

,

sion o f the object and a treatment O f i t a c cor d

ing to its nature .

1 1 3

W hen intelligentd sensible people despise

an

knowle dge in their Old age it is only be c ause,

they have asked t o o much Of it and of them

sel ves .

1 14

I pity those who make mu ch ado about the

trans itory nature of all thi ngs and are lost in
the contemplati on o f earthly vanity : are we not ‘

here to make the trans itory permanent ! Thi s

we can d o o n l y i f we kn o w h o w to value both .

1 1
5
A ra i nbow whi ch lasts a quarter of an h our is
looke d at no more .

1 1 6

It use d to happen an d still happens to me to

, ,

take no pleasure i n a work Of art at the first

s ight of it because it i s too much for me ; b ut
,
 LIFE A ND CHARAC TER

if I s u sp e c t any merit in it I try t oget at it ; ,

and then I never fai l to make the most gratify

ing di s coveries —to fin d new qualities in the
,

work i tself an d new faculties in myself .

1 1 7

F aith is pri vate capital kept in one s ,

’
ow n

house There are public savings banks an d -

loan f fi
-
O wh i ch su ppl y i n di viduals i n their
c e s,

day f need ; but here the c re di tor quietly takes

o

hi interest f
s hi mself
or .

1 1 8

R ealObs c urantism is not to hinder th e s p read

Of what i s true clear and us eful but to bring
, , ,

into vogue what is false .

1 19

D uring a prolonge d stu dy o f the lives of var i

o u s men both great an d small I came u pon th i s ,

thought : In the web of the worl d the one may

we l l b e regarde d as the warp the other as the ,

woof It i s the l ittle men after all who g i ve

.
, ,

breadth to the web an d the great men firmness

,

an d sol i dity ; perhaps also the a d di tion of some

, ,
86 I
M A X M S A ND RE FLEC TIO NS O F GOE THE
sort Of pattern B ut the sc i ssors o f the F ates
.

determi ne its length an d to that all the rest

,

must jo i n in submitti ng itself .

Truth is a tor c h but a huge on e and so it i s

, ,

only with bl i nk i ng ey es that we all of us try to

get p ast it in a c tual terror O f being burnt
, .

The wise have m uc h in

‘
c ommon with on e
’
another E schglu s. .

1 2 2

The really fool i sh thing in men wh o are

otherwise i ntelligent is that they fa il to un d er
stand what another person says when h e d oes ,

n o t exactly h i t upon the r i ght wa y of say i ng i t .

1 2 3
Be c ause a man S peaks he thi nks he is able to ,

speak about language .

1 24

O nee d only grow old to be c ome gentl er i n

ne

one s ju dgments
’
I see no faul t comm i tte d
.

which I cou l d not have committe d myself .

 L IFE A ND CHARAC TER

1 2
5
The man who acts never has any cons c ien c e
no o n e has any conscience but the man wh o
thi nks .

1 2 6

W hy should those who are happy expe c t on e

w is m isera ble to die before them i n a gra c e

ho
ful attitu de l i ke the gla di ator before th e R oman
,

mob !
1 2
7
S ome asked Timon about th e edu c ation
one

of L e t them
’
his children he said
. be , ,

instru c ted in th at whic h they will ne v er

’
understand .

I 2 8

There are people whom I wis h well and ,

would that I c ould wish better .

12 9
B y force o f habi t we look at a clo ck th at
h as run d own as i f it were still going and we ,

gaze at the face o f a beauty as though sh e still

love d .

0
1 3

ci i
H atred i s a t ve d spleasure , envy passive .

We need n ot wonder that envy turns so soon

t o h atre d .
88 A I
M X M S AND REFLEC TIO NS OF GO E THE
1 3 1

Th ere i s something magi cal in rhythm ; it

even makes us bel i eve that we possess the
subl i me .

1 3 2

ilettantism treate d seriously an d know

D ,

le dge pursue d mechan i cally end by be c oming ,

pe dantry .

I S3
Noone but the master can promote the c a use
of A rt P atrons help the mas ter
. that i s r ight ,

and proper ; b ut that d oes not always mean

that A rt is helped .

I 34
The most fool ish of all errors is for clever
young men to bel i eve that they forfeit the i r
ori gi nal i ty in re c ognising a tr uth whi c h h as
alrea dy been re cogn i sed by othe r s .

1 35
S cholars are generally mal ignant wh en they
are refuti n g o thers ; an d i f they th i nk a man i s
mak i ng a m istake they straightway look u pon
,

him as their mortal enemy .

1 3 6

Bea uty c an ne ver really unde rsta nd its elf .

 L IF E A ND CH A RA CTER 89

I 37
It is muc h easier to recognise error than to
fin d truth ; for error lies o n the surface an d may
be overcome ; but truth l i es in the d epths an d ,

t o sear ch for it is not given to every o n e .

1 3 8

We all l i ve on the p ast and through the p ast

,

are destroyed .

I
S9
We are no sooner about to learn some great
lesson than we take refuge in o u r o w n i nnate
p overty of soul an d yet for all that the lesson
,

has not be en quite in vain .

14 0

The worl d of empiri cal moral i ty cons i sts for

the most part o f noth i ng but il l will and envy-
.

14 1

L ife seems so v ulgar so eas il y c ontent with

,

th e commonplace th i ngs Of every d ay an d y e t ,

90 A
M X I M S AN D RE FLEC TIONS O F GOE T HE
i t always nurses an d cherishes c ertai n h igher
c lai s in secret an d looks about
m , for the means
Of sati sfying them .

14 2

are strange things If you l isten

C on fid e n c e s .

only to o n e man i t i s poss i ble that he is

,

d e c e rv e d or m i staken ; if you l i sten t o many ,

they are i n a l ike case ; an d generally y ou

, ,

cannot get at the truth at all .

I4 S

NO one s h oul d d es i re t o l i ve in irregular cir

c u m s t an c e s but i f by chance a man falls into
them they test h i s character and S how of h o w
,

mu c h d etermination he is c ap able .

14 4

An honourable man w i th l i mited ideas often

sees through th e rascal i ty of the most cunning
jobb er .

1 45

If a man feels no love he must learn how to

,

flatter ; oth erwise he will n ot su cc eed .

92 MAX IMS A ND REFLEC TIONS O F GOE THE
1
5 2

Ingrati tu de i s always a k i n d o f weakness . I

have never known men o f abil i ty t o b e un

grateful .

I S3
We are all so l i m i te d that we always thi nk
we are ri ght ; an d so we may conce i ve Of an
extraordi nary m i n d whi ch n o t only errs but h as
a positi ve delight i n error .

S4 I

It is v ery rare to fin d pure and stea dy activity

in the accomp l i shment o f w h at i s good and
right We usually see pe dantry trying to keep
.

back and aud acity try i ng to go on too fast

, .

SS
I

Word and p i ct ure are c orrelatives wh i ch are

conti nually i n quest Of each other as i s suf ,

fic i e n t l y evid ent i n the case Of me t aphors an d

s i m i l es
. S O fr o m al l ti me what was sa id or
sung i nwar dly to the c ar ha d to be presente d
equally to the eye A n d S O i n ch il dish days we
.

s e e w o r d and p i cture in cont i nual b a l ance ; i n

the book Of the l aw an d i n the way o f salva

 L IFE A ND CHARAC TER 93

tion 1n the Bible and i n the spelling book

,
-
.

When someth i ng was spoken which coul d not

be pi cture d an d someth ing picture d whi ch
,

c o ul d n o t b e spoken all went well ; but

,

m istakes were Oft e n ma d e and a word was ,

use d i nstea d o f a picture ; an d th en c e arose

those monsters Of symbol i cal mysticism whi c h ,

are doubly an evil .

1 5 6

For the man Of the worl d

a collection of
anec d otes and max i m s i s Of the greatest value ,

if he knows how to intersperse the o n e in h i s

conversat i on at fitting moments and remembe r ,

the oth er when a c as e arises for th eir appl i

c ation .

S7 I

When y ou lose interest in any thing , y o u also

lose the memory f or it .

1 5 8

The w or l d i s a bell with a c ra ck in it ; it

rattles but does not ring
, .

I S9
The imp ort u nity of yo u ng dilettanti m ust
94 MAXIMS A ND REFLEC TIO NS O F GO E THE
be b orne w ith goo d will ; for as they grow o l d
-

they b ecome the truest worshi ppers of Art an d

the M aster .

1 60

P eople have to be c ome really bad before they

care f nothing but mis c hief an d delight in i t
or , .

1 61

C lever people are the best encyclop ae di a .

1 62

There are p eople who make no mistakes

because they never w i sh to d o anything worth
d oi ng .

1 63

If I know my relation to myself and the

o u ter worl d I call it truth Every man can
,
.

have h is o w n pecul i ar truth ; and yet it i s

al w ays the same .

1 64

NO one is the master of any truly productive

energy ; an d all men must let it work o n by
itse l f .

1 65

A man never understands h ow an t h r O po m or

ph i he i
o s .
96 MAXIMS A ND R E FLEC TIO NS OF GO E THE
wrongl y and fall between two stools
, you w i n
no a dh erents an d lose y our fri en ds . What i s
to be the end O f it !
I 73
It is all on e whether yo u are o f high or Of
h umble origin Yo u will always have t o pay
.

for yo ur humanity .

I 74

When I h ear people speak O f liberal ideas ,

i t i s always a won der to me that men are s o

rea di ly put off with empty verbiage A n id ea .

cannot b e l ib eral ; b ut i t may b e potent vi gor ,

o u s exclusive
, i n or der to fulfil i ts mission of
,

be i ng p roductive S till less can a concept be

.

l i beral ; for a concept has qui t e another m ission .

Where however we m ust look for l i beral i ty

, , ,

i s i n the sentiments ; and the sentiments are

the i nner man as h e lives an d moves A man s .
’

senti men t s however are rarely l iberal be cause

, , ,

they proceed directly from h i m personally and ,

from h rs 1m m e di at e relati ons an d requ irements .

F ur t her we will not wri te an d let us apply th is ,

test to what we hear every d ay .

I 7S

If a clever man comm i ts a folly i t i s , no t a

s m all one .
 L IFE A ND CHARAC TER

1 7 6

Th ere is a poetry wi thout figures of sp eech ,

whi ch i s a single figure Of s peech .

I 77

I went on tro ubling my self about general

ide as until I learnt to understand the p articular
achie v ements Of the best men .

1 7 8

It is only wh en a man knows little that h e ,

knows an yth i ng at all W ith knowle dge grows

.

I 79
Th e errors O f a man are wh at make h im
really lovable.

1 80

There are men w h o love their lik e and

Seek i t ; othe rs love their oppos ite and follow
after it
.

1 81

If a man has always let himself think the

worl d as ba d as the a d versary represents it to
be he must have be c ome a miserable person
, .
98 MAXIMS A ND REFLE CTIO NS O F GO E T HE
1 82

Ill fav our and h atred l i mit the spectator t o

-

the surface even when keen perception is a dd e d

,

unto them ; but when keen perception unites

with good wi ll and love it gets at the heart of
-
,

man and the worl d ; nay it ma y h O pe t o reach ,

the highest goal of all .

1 83

R awmatter i s seen by every one ; the c on

te nts are foun d only by hi m wh o has h is eyes
about him ; and the form i s a se c ret t o the
majority .

1 84

We may learn to know the world as we

please : it will always re t ain a brig h t and a
dark si de .

1 85

Erroris continually repeating itself in a c tion ,

an d we m ust unweari e dly repeat the truth in

wor d .

1 86

A s i n R ome there i s apart from the R oma s

, n ,

a popula t i on of statues so apart from th i s real

,

world there is a worl d of illus i on almost more ,

potent in whi ch most men live

,
.
100 MAX IMS A ND REFLEC TIONS O F GO ETHE
I 93

A ll o ur purs u its an d actions are a wearying

pro c ess . Well is i t for hi m w h o wearies n ot .

I
94

H o pe is the se c ond so ul Of the u h appy

n .

1 95

Lo ve is a tru e reno vator .

1
9 6

M ankind is not wi thout a wis h to serve ;

henc e th e chi valry of the Fren ch i s a servitu de .

I 97

In th e theatre the pleasure o f what we se e

and h ear restr ains o ur reflections .

1 9 8

There i s no l i mit to the i n c rease of e xpe ri

ence but theori es cannot become clearer an d
,

more complete i n just the same sense The .

fiel d of experi ence i s the whole un i verse i n al l

directi on s Theory remai ns shut up wi thi n the
.

l i mits o f the human faculti es H ence there

.
 LIFE ANri CHARAC TER
is no wa y Of loo ki g at the world but it recurs
n , ,

and the curious thing happens that with i n ,

crease d experi ence a limited theory may again

c ome i nto favour .

It is always the same world whic h sta nd s

o p en to Observati on which is contin u ally being
,

c ontemplated o r guessed at ; and it is always

the same men who l i ve in the true o r in the
false ; more at their c ase in the latter than in
the former .

I 99

Truth at variance with o u r n atures but

is ,

not S O error ; and for a very simple reason .

Truth requ i res uS to recogn i se ourselves as

limite d but error flat t e rs us with the bel i ef that
,

in o n e way o r anoth er we are subject to no

boun ds at all .

20 0

That some men thi nk the y can still do wh at

they h ave been able to d o is natural enough ; ,

that oth ers thi nk they can d o what they have

never been able to d o is Si ngular b ut not rare
, , .

At all ti mes i t h as not been the age b ut ,

indivi d uals alone who have worke d for know

,
(
125
0 Mx a im ! AND i i
R Eh E CTI O NS
‘
or GO E THE
le dge It was the age which put S ocrates to
.

death by poison the age whi ch burnt H uss

, .

The ages hav e always remaine d alike .

That is true S ymbolism where th e more ,

parti cular represents the more general not as ,

a dream or sha de but as a vi vid instantaneous

, ,

re velati o n of the Ins c rutable .

20 3

Ever ything
an abstra c t or sy mboli c nature
of ,

as soon as it is challenged by realities en ds by ,

consuming them and itself S o c redit c ons u mes .

bo th mone y and itsel f .

20 4

M aster y Often p asses for egoism .

W i th P rotestants as soon as goo d works

,

cease an d their merit i s d enie d sentimentality ,

takes their place .

20 6

If a man knows where to get goo d ad vi c e it ,

is as th ough he co ul d suppl y i t h i mself .

104 MAX IMS A ND REFLEC TIO NS OF GOE THE
2 13

Error is
related to tru t h as sleep to waking .

I have observe d that on awakening from err o r

a man turns again to truth as with new vi gour .

2 14

Every su ffers who d oes not work f o r

one

hi mself A man works for others to have

.

them Share in his joy .

2 1 5
M en s prejudi c es rest upon their
’
i
c h ar a z
te r
for the time be i ng and cann o t be overcome as ,

be i ng part an d par c el of themselves Neither .

evi dence nor common sense nor reason h as the

-

slightest influence upon them .

2 1 6

C haracters often make a law Of their fa ilings .

M en who know the world have said that when

p r u d ence is only fear in d isguise its scruples
,

cannot be conquere d The weak Often have

.

revoluti onary senti ments ; they th i nk they

would be well O ff i f they were not rule d an d ,

fa il to perce i ve that they can r ule neither

themselves nor others .
 LIF E A ND CHA R A CTER 05

2 1 7
C ommon -
sense i s born p ure in the h ealthy
man is sel f d evelope d and is revealed by a
,
-
,

resolute p erce p tion and re c ognition o f what

i s necessary and useful P ractical men and .

women ava i l themsel ves of it with confiden c e .

W h ere it is absent both sexes fin d anything

,

ne c essary when they desire i t and useful when ,

it gives them p leasure .

2 1 8

All men , the y atta i n freedom give play to

as ,

their errors T h e str ong do t oo muc h and the

.
,

weak t oo little .

2 1
9

T h e c onfli c t of th e ol d the existing th e , ,

c onti nuing with development improvement

, , ,

and reform is alway s the same O r der O f every

, .

k in d t urns at last to pedantry and to get ri d ,

o f the o n e p eople destroy the other ; and so

,

it goes o n for a wh ile unt i l people perceive

,

that order must be establ ished an ew C lass i c i sm .

and R o m an t i ci Sm ; close corporati ons an d free

dom Of trade the maintenance o f large estates
and the di v ision Of the lan d — i t is always the ,

same c onfli c t whi ch ends by pro ducing a n e w

10 6 MAX IMS A ND REFLEC TIO NS OF GO E THE
O ne .The best pol i cy of those in power would
be so to mo derate this confli ct as to let it ri ght
i tself wi thout the destructi on of e ither element .

B ut thi s has not been grante d to men an d it ,

seems not to be the w ill O f Go d .

2 20

A great work l imits us for the m oment ,

because we feel it above o ur powers ; an d only

i n so far as we afterward s i ncorporate i t wi th
o u r culture an d make i t par t o f o u r m i n d an d
,

heart does it be c ome a d ear an d worthy O bject

,
.

2 2 1

It is no wonder that we all more o r less

delight i n the me di ocre be c a use i t leaves us
,

i n pea c e : it gives us the comfortable feeling

o f inter c ourse w i th what i s like o u rselves .

2 2 2

There i s n o us e in reproving vulgarity for ,

i t never changes .

We c annot es c ape a contradicti on i n o ur

selves ; we must try to resolve i t If the .

c ontradicti on comes from others it does n ot ,

af f e c t us : it is their aflai r .
108 MAXIMS A ND R E FL E CTIONS OF GO E THE
229

Absurdi ties presente d with good taste ro use

disg ust and admirati n o .

2 3 0

Of the best so c iety i t used to be said : th eir

speech instruc ts the m i nd and th eir silen c e th e
,

feelings .

2 3 1

Nothing i s more terrible th an ignoran c e in

a c tion .

2 3 2

Beauty and Genius must be k e p t afar i f on e

would a v oid be c omin g their slave .

2 33

W e treat th e aged with c onsideratio n , as we

treat ch il dren .

2 34

An Ol d man loses one th e greatest of h uman

of

privileges : he is no more judged by hi s p eers .

2
35

In the matter of knowledge it has happ ened ,

to me as to on e w h o rises early an d in the dark ,

 L IF E C HARAC TER
AND 109

im p tiently await th e dawn and th e th e

a s , n su n ;

but is blinded wh en it a pp ears .

2 3 6

Great p rimeval powers evolved in time or in

,

eternity work o n un c easingly : wh ether to weal

,

o r to w o e i s a matte r of c han c e
, .
110 MAXIMS AND REFL EC TIONS OF GOE THE

2 37

P eople often say to themselves i n life that

the y shoul d av id a vari ety Of oc c upati on an d
o , ,

more parti cularl y be the less willing t enter

, o

upon new work the Ol d er they grow But i t .

i s easy to talk easy to give advi ce to oneself

,

an d others To grow l d i s i tself to enter upon

. o

a new bus i ness ; al l the circumstan c es change ,

and a man must eith er cease a c ting altogether ,

or will i ngly and consc i ously take over the

new r Ol e .

2 3 8

Of the Absolute i n the theoretical sense I ,

do not venture to speak ; but this I maintain

that if a m an recogn i ses i t i n i t s mani festation ,

and always keeps his gaze fixed up on it he wi ll ,

e xp erien c e v ery great rewar d .

2 39

Toli v e in a great idea means to treat the

i mpossible as tho u gh i t were p oss ible It i s .
1 12 MAXI MS A ND RE FLE C TIONS GOE T HE
OF

expressed himself quite diff erentl y Th en

.
,

i n dee d he w as ready
, m to a d it that life
pro d uces l i fe ; that a fruitful act has e ff ects
to all time H e too k pleasure i n c o nf essing
.

that he had gi v en a great i mpulse a new ,

direction to the c ourse of the worl d s aff airs

,
’
.

2 4 2

It alway s remains a very remark able fa c t that

men whose whole personality i s almost all i d ea ,

are S O extremely S hy o f all phantasy In this .

c ase was H amann who could not bear the

,

mention of things o f another world

! ”
He .

took o c casion to C xpress himself o n this po in t

i n a certain paragraph which he wrote in four
,

teen diff erent ways ; and still a pp arently he , ,

was never quite sat isfied with it .

Two of these attempts have bee n pr e se r ye d

to us ; a thi rd we have ourselves attempted ,

whi ch we are i n du c e d t o p rint h ere by the pr e

ce din g observations .

24 3

M an is pla c ed a real being in th e mi ds t

as

Of a real world and endowed with such organs

,
 LI FE AND C HARAC TER 1 13

that h e c an per c eive and produ c e th e real and

also the possible .

All h ealthy men have the convi ction of th eir

own exis t ence an d of an ex i stence aroun d them .

H owever even the brain contains a holl ow S pot

, ,

that i s to say a pl ace i n wh i ch no Object i s

,

mirrore d ; just as in the eye itself there is a

l i ttle spot that d oes not se e If a man p ays .

p artic ular attention to thi s spot and i s absorbed

in it he falls into a state Of mental sickness
, ,

h as p resentiments o f things of anoth er worl d ”

,

whi ch are in reality no things at all ; possess

, ,

i n g neither form nor limit but alarm i ng h i m ,

like dark empty tra c ts o f night an d pursuing

, ,

hi m as something more th an phantoms if he ,

does not tear himself free fr om them .

24 4

To the se v eral perversities of the day a man

Shoul d always Oppose only the great masses
Of universal hi story .

24 5
N0 on e c an
live mu ch with c h ildren without
finding th at the y always rea c t to an y o u tward
influen c e up on them .
1 14 MAXIMS A ND REFL E CTIO NS OF GOE THE
24 6

With an y s p ec i all y childish natur e th e

reaction is even pass i onate wh ile its acti on i s ,

energetic .

2 4 7

That is why c hi l dr en s lives are a series Of’

refined j udgments not to say preju di ces ; and

,

to e ffa c e a rap id but partial perception in or d er

to make way for a more general one time i s ,

ne c essary To bear this in mind is o n e Of th e

.

tea c her s greatest duties

’
.

24 8

Fri endship can only be bre d in p ra c ti c e an d

be mai ntai ne d by practi ce A f f ecti on nay love .
, ,

i tself is n o help at all t o frien dship True

, .
,

active pro d ucti ve fri en dsh ip c onsists i n keep

,

i ng equal pace in life : i n my fri en d approving

my a i ms while I approve h is and i n thus
, ,

moving forwards together stea dfastly howeve r ,

much o ur way o f thought and life may vary .

1 16 MAX I MS A ND REFLEC TIO NS OF GOE THE
2
53
But if o n the contrary we ha v e been in their
, ,

homes and h ave seen them i n the i r surroun d

,

i ngs an d habits an d the c ircum stances whi ch

are necessary an d inevi table for them ; if we
have seen the kin d o f i nfluence they exert o n
those around them or h ow they behave it i s
, ,

only ignorance an d ill will that can find food

-

for r i dic ule i n wh at must appear to us in more

th an o n e sense worthy of resp e c t .

2
54
W h at we c all c on d uct and good manners
Obtains for us that wh i ch other w i se is t o be
obtained only by for c e o r not e ven by force
, .

2 55
W omen s so c iety
’
is th e element Of good
manners .

2 5 6

H ow c an the chara c ter the pecul iar nature

, of

a man be c ompatible with good manners !

,

2 57
It i s thr o ugh his goo d manners th at a man s ’

pe c uliar natu re should be ma d e all the more

 L IFE A ND CHARAC T ER 1 17

conspi c uo us . E v ery lik es distin c tion but it

on e ,

sho ul d not be di sagreeable .

2
5 8

Th e most privileged p osition in life as in ,

so c iety is that o f an educated soldi er R ough

, .

warr i ors at any rate remain true to their

, ,

c hara c ter and as great strength is usually the

,

cover f or good nature we get o n with th em ,

at n eed .

2 59
NO one more troublesome than an awk ward
is
civilian A s his bus i ness is not with an ything
.

brutal or c oarse he m i ght be ex p e c te d to S how

,

delic a cy of feeling .

2 60

W hen we live with people wh o

delicate sense o f what is fitting ,

qu ite anxious ab o ut them if any thing

to di sturb th i s sense .

2 61

NO would come into a roo m with

on e

spectacles on hi s nose if he knew that women ,

at on c e lose any in c lination t o look a t or talk

t o h im .
1 18 MAX IM S A ND RE FLE C TIONS OF GOE THE

A familiar i n the place of a res p e c tf ul

demeanour i s always ri di c ulous .

2 63

Th ere i s no outward S ign of politeness that

will be found to la c k some deep moral f o u n da
tion The ri ght k i nd O f education would be that
.

which c onveyed the S ign and the fo u ndation at

th e same time .

2 64
A man s manners
’
are th e mirror in whi ch h e
shows his portrait .

2 65

There is a p oliteness of th e heart and it is ,

all i e d to love It p ro d uces the most agreeable

.

pol i teness o f outwar d d emeanour .

2 66

Vol u ntary dependenc e is

the best state and ,

h ow Sh ould that be possible without love !

2 67

We are ne v er further from our wish es th an

when we fan c y we possess the Obje c t of them .
120 MAXI MS A ND R E FLEC TIONS OF GO E THE
2 74
The greatest men are link ed to th eir age
by some weak point .

2 75 .

We generally tak e men to be mor e dangero us

than they are .

2 7 6

F ools and wise folk are alike harmless .

is the half wise an d the

-
, h alf foolish wh o
-
,

the most d angerous .

2 77
To a difficult thing lightly h an dled gi ves
se e

us the impression of the imp ossible .

2 7 8

D iffi culties in c rease th e neare r w e co m e to

o ur aim .

2 79
S owing is not so painful as reaping .

2 80

We are fon d of looking to the future because ,

our secret wishes make us apt to turn i n o u r

favour the uncert ainties whi c h move about in
i t hither and thi ther .
 , L I FE A ND CHARAC TER 12 1

2 81

It is not eas y to be in an y great assembly

w ithout t hi nkrn
g t h at the c h ance whi c h brings
so many people together w i ll also make u s
meet o ur fr i ends .

2 82

A man may live never S O retired a life but

he be c omes a debtor o r a c reditor before h e is
aware O f i t .

2 83

If any one meets us wh o owes us a debt

Of gratitude it immediately crosses o u r mind
,
. .

H ow Often c an we meet some o n e to wh om we

o w e gratit u de wit h out t h in k ing o f it !
,

2 84

To c ommuni c ate oneself i Nature ; to re c eiv e

s

a c omm u i c ation as it is given is C ulture

n .

2 85

NO would Sp eak m uc h in so c iety if h e

on e

were aware h ow Often we m isunderstand oth ers .

2 86

It is only because we have not understood a

th ing that we c annot repeat i t w i thout alteration .
1 22 MAXIMS A ND REFLEC TIO NS OF GOE THE
2 87

TO make a long speec h i n th e presence of

others wi thout flat t e r m g y our audience is , to

rouse disl i ke .

2 88

Ever y word th at we utter rouses i t c ontrary

s .

2 89

and flattery mak e

C ontra di ction , both of

them ba d conversation
, .

2 90

The pleasantest so c iety is th at in whi c h th ere

exists a genial deference amongst th e members
o n e t o w ar ds another
. .

2
9 1

By nothing d o men show their ch ara c t er

more than by the things they laugh at .

2
2
9

Th e ri di c ulous S prings from a moral c ontrast

inno c ently presente d to the senses .

2
93

T h e sens u al man Often laughs when there i s

124 MAX IMS A ND REFLEC TIONS OF GO E THE
2
99
What kin d Of faul t s i n ourselves should we
retai n nay even cultivate !
, , Those wh i ch
rather flatter other people than O ffen d th em .

0 0
3
The passions are goo d or ba d quali ties only ,

intens i fie d
.

3 0 1

O ur pass i ons are i n truth like the phoe n i x

, , .

When the O l d one burns away the new o n e ,

rises o u t Of i ts ashes at once .

0
3 2

Great p assions are hopeless di seases That .

which coul d cure them is the first thi n g to make

them really dangerous .

3 0 3
P assion is enhan c ed an d temp ered by avowal .

In noth i ng perhaps i s the mid dle course more

, ,

des irable than i n c onfidence and reti cence

towards th o se we love .

3 0 4
To sit 111 ju dgment on the departe d is never
likely to b e equ i table We all su ff er from li fe ;
.
 L IFE A ND CHARAC T ER 1 25

who ex c e p t God c an c all us to a cc ount ! L e t

not their faul ts an d s u fle r i n gs but what
,

the y h ave a c com pl i shed and done occupy the

,

survivors .

3 0 5
It is failings that show h uman nature an d ,

meri ts that distinguish the i n di vi d ual ; faults

and m isfortunes we al l have in common ; virtues
belong to ea c h o n e separately .
12 6 M AX IMS A ND REFLEC TIONS OF GOETHE

VI

3 0 6

The se c ret places i n the way of life may not

and cannot be reveale d : there are rocks Of
o f f ence on wh i ch every traveller must stumble .

But the poet po i nts to where they are .

3 0 7

It woul d n o t be worth while to se e seventy

years i f all the wi s d o m o f thi s world were
foolishness with Go d .

3 0 8

The true i s Go dlike : we d o n o t se e it itself ;

we must guess at it through its manifestations .

3 0 9

The real scholar learns how to evolve the

unknown from the known and d raws near the ,

master .

10
3

In the smithy the i ron is softene d by blowi ng

up the fire and taki n g the dross from the bar
,
.
128 MAXI MS A ND REFLEC TIO NS OF GO E THE
simple state of nature while the , imaginati on
so u ght to concentrate i t self .

3 14

Th e S aints were all at on c e driven from

h eaven ; and senses tho ught an d heart were
, ,

turne d from a d ivine mother wi th a ten d er

ch il d to the grown man doing goo d an d suffer
,
’

ing evi l who was later t r an sfigu r e d into a be i n g

,

half d ivi ne in i t s nature an d then recogn i se d

-
,

an d honoured as God h i mself H e stoo d .

against a background where the C reator ha d

opened o ut the universe ; a S piritual i nfluence
went out from him ; hi s s uf f eri ngs were a d opte d
as an example and h is t r an sfigur at i on w as t h e
,
‘

ple dge of everlastingness .

3 5 1

As a coal i s revive d by i n c ense , so pray er

re vi ves the hopes f the heart
o .

3 6 1

F rom a strict point v i ew we must have a

of

reform ati on of o ur selves every d ay an d protest ,

aga i ns t others even though it be in no rel i gious

,

sense .
 L IFE A ND CHARAC TER 1 29

3 7 1

It should be o u r earnest endeavour to use

wor ds coinciding as closely as possible with
what we feel s e e th i nk ex p erience i magine
, , , , ,

an d reas on It is an endeavour which we

.

cannot evade and wh i ch i s d a ily to be renewe d

,
.

L e t every man examine hi mself and he will ,

find this a much har d er task than h e might

suppose ; for unhapp ily a man usually takes
, ,

w o rds as mere make sh i fts ; hi s knowledge an d

-

his thought are i n m o s t c as e s better than h i s

‘

method o f expression .

F alse irrelevant and futile i d eas may arise

, ,

in ourselves an d o thers o r fin d the i r way i nto,

u s from wi thout L e t us persist in the e f fort

.

t o remove them as far as we c an by plain an d ,

honest p urpose .

3 8 1

AS we grow ol d er the or d eals grow greater

, .

3 9 1

Wh ere I cannot be moral my power i s gone

, .

3 20

A man is not de c eived by others , he decei ves

hims elf .
 2 1
3

L aws are all made by Old people and by men .

Y ouths an d women want the exce p tions Old ,

peopl e the rules .

3 2 2

It i s not th e intelligent man wh o rules bu t ,

intelligen c e ; n ot th e wise man bu t wisdom , .

3 3 2

TO praise a man is to put oneself on h is le vel .

3 4 2

It is n o t enough to k now we must also apply ;

,

it i s not enough t o will we must also do

, .

3 5 2

C hinese In di an and
, yptian anti quiti es
, Eg
are never more than curios i ti es ; i t i s we ll to
make acquaintan c e w i th them ; but in po i nt
of moral and esthetic c ulture the y can help us
a

l i ttle
.

3 6 2

The German runs no greater danger than

to a dvance w i th an d by the exampl e o f h i s
ne ighbours There i s perhaps no nati on that
.
 0
33
Th e greatest di fficulti es l i e where we do not
l o ok for them .

33 I

O interest in p ublic events

ur is mostl y the
merest phi listinism .

33 2

Nothing is more highly to be p rized t h an th e

value of each d ay.

3 33
P e r e ant
q u i t Th i s
a n e n os n ost r a d i sce r un t ’ .

i s so stran ge an utterance that i t could only ,

have c ome from on e who fanc i e d h imse lf au t o ch

t h o n o us The man who looks upon it as an
.

honour to be d escen de d from wise ancestors ,

will allow them at least as mu c h c ommon sense -

as he allows hi ms elf .

3 34
S tri ctly speak i ng everything depends up on a
,

man s i ntenti ons ; where these ex ist thoughts

’
,

appear ; an d as the i ntenti o ns are so are the ,

tho ughts .

335
If a man lives long i n a h i gh pos i tion he ,

d oes n o t i t is true experience all that a man

, ,

can experience ; b ut he exper i ences th i ngs l ike

them an d perhaps some th ings that h av e n o
,
'

parallel el s e w here .
 L IFE AN D CHARAC T ER 13 3

VII

33 6

T h e first and last th i ng that required

genius is love of truth .

33 7

To be and remain true to oneself and others ,

i s t o possess the noblest attribute o f the greatest

talents .

33 8

Great talen t s are th e best means O f c on c iliation .

3 39

Th e a c tion of genius is in a way ubi quitous

towards general truths before experience and ,

towards partic ular truths after it .

0
34

A n a ctive s cepti cism i s whi ch constantly

on e

aims at overc om i ng i tself and arri v i g by means

, n

of regulated experi en c e at a k i nd f con di ti one d

o

certai nty .
13 4 MAXIMS A ND RE F LEC TIO NS OF GO E THE
34 I

The general nature of the s c eptical m i n d i s

i ts ten dency to inquire whether any parti c ul ar
pre dicate really attaches to any parti cul ar
object ; an d the p urpose of the inquiry is safely
t o apply in practi c e what has th us been dis c overe d
and proved .

34 2

The mind endowe d with a c tive powers an d

keep i ng wi th a practical Object to the task that
l i es nearest i s the worth i est there i s on earth
, .

34 3

P erfe c tionis the measure o f heaven and th e ,

wish to be perfe c t the measure Of man .

34 4

only what i s born with him but also

No t ,

what h e acquires makes the man

,
.

34 5

A man i s well equippe d for all the real n e ce s

s i ti es of l i fe i f he trusts hi se es an d
s ns , so
culti vates them that the y remain worthy of

be i ng truste d .
136 MAXIMS A ND REFLEC TIO NS OF GOE THE
35 I

This it is that has b een c alle d in a goo d an d ,

in a ba d sense id eo l ogy ; an d th i s i s why the

,

ideologist is so repugnant to the hard working -

,

practical man of every day .

35 2

Yo u mrecognise the u tility o f an idea

ay ,

and yet not qu i te understand how t o make

a perfect use of it .

353
That i s a fine a worthy thing
C r e do D e um !
,

to say ; but t o recognise God where an d as

he reveals himself is t h e only true bliss o n
,

earth .

3 54
Kepler said : My wi sh is that I may p er
‘

c e i v e the God whom I find every where in the

external worl d i n l ike manner also wi thi n an d

,

i ns ide me The goo d man was not aware that

.
’

i n that v ery moment the divine i n hi m stood

i n the closest c onnecti on with the divi ne i n the
Uni verse .

3 55
What i s predesti nati on ! It i s this : Go d
is mighti er an d wiser than we are and so he ,

does with us as h e pleases .

 LIFE A ND CHARA CTER 13 7

35 6

Toleration s h o uld stri c tly s p eak ing be only

, ,

a p as sing mood ; i t ought to lead to ackn o w l e dg

ment and appreciation T O tolerate a p erson .

is t o aff ront hi m .

35 7

Faith , Lo ve
and H ope on c e felt in a q u iet
, ,

sociable hour a plastic impulse in their nature

,

they worke d together and c reate d a lovely

image a P andora in the higher sense P atien c e
, , .

35 8

I stumbled over the roots Of th e tree which

I plante d It must h ave been an Old forester
.
’

w h o said t h at .

359

A lea f blown by th e wind O ften look s l ike

a bird .

3 6 0

D oes the Sp arrow k no h ow th e stork feels !

w

3 6 1

L amps make oil spots and c andles want

-
,

s n u ffi n g ; it i s only the l i ght o f hea v en that

shines p ure and leaves no stain .

13 8 MAX I MS A ND REFLEC TIO NS OF GOE THE
3 6 2

If you miss the first button hole -

, y o u

not succee d in buttoni ng up y our c oat .

6
3 3
A burnt chil d dreads the fire ; an ol d man
who has often been s in ge d is afra i d Of
hi mself .

6
3 4
It i s not worth while to d o anyt hin g for th e
worl d that we have with us as the existing or d er
,

may i n a moment pas s away It i s for the p ast

.

and the future that we must work : for the past ,

to acknowle dge i t s merits ; for the future t o ,

try to i n c rease its value .

6
3 5
Let every man as k himself with whi c h Of h i s
fa c ulties he can and will somehow influence
hi s age .

3 6 6

Le t no o n e thi nk that peo ple have waited for

hi m as for the S aviour .

6
3 7
C harac ter in matters great and small consists
i n a man stea dily pursu ing the things of which
he feels himself capable .
14 0 MAXIM S A ND R EFLE CTIONS OF GOE THE
they are boun d by the rules of their o ffi ce to
teach an d communicate thi ngs which they look
upon as useless an d hu rtful .

3 7 2

There i s no sa dder sight than the di re c t s t r i v

ing after the un c on di tioned in thi s thorou ghly
con ditioned worl d .

3 73

B efore the R evolution i t was all efi or t ; after

war ds i t all c hanged to d e m an d .

3 74

C ana nation be c ome ripe ! That is a strange

question I would answer Y e s ! i f all the men
.
,

could be born thirty y ears O f age But as youth .

will always be too forwar d and Old age t o o

backwar d the really mature man is always
,

hemmed i n between them and has to resort to ,

strange devi c es to make h i s way through .

3 75

It does n ot look well for monarchs to speak

thro ugh the p ress for power should a c t an d not
,

talk T h e proje c ts O f th e l i beral party always

.

be ar being rea d : the man who is o verpowere d

 L IF E A ND CHARAC T ER 14 1

may at le ast express his views in s p ee ch be c ause ,

he cannot a c t When M azari n was shown some

.

sati rical songs o n a new tax L e t them sin g ,

‘
,
’

sa i d he as long as they pay

,
.
’

37 6

V anit yi
a desire Of personal glory the wish
s ,

t o be appreciated honoured and run after not, , ,

be c ause Of one s p ersonal qualities merits and

’
, ,

achievements but be c a use O f one s i ndi vidual

,
’

ex istence A t best th ere fore it i s a frivolous

.
, ,

beauty whom it befits .

3 77

Th e most important matters of feeling as o f

reason Of exper i ence as Of reflection S hould be
, ,

treated o f o n ly by word o f mouth The spoken .

wor d at once di es i f it i s not kept alive by some

other wor d following o n it an d suited to the
b e ar e r
. O bserve what happens in soc i al c on
verse If the word is not d ead when i t reaches
.

the hearer he mur d ers it at on c e by a contra

,

dic ti on a stipulati on a con di ti on a digress i on

, , , ,

an interruption and all the thousand tri cks o f

,

conversation With the written word t h e case

.

i s still worse N0 o n e c ares to read anything

.
14 2 MAXI MS A ND REFLE CTIO NS OF GO E THE
to whic h he is n ot alrea dy to some extent
ac c ustomed : he deman ds the known an d the
fami li ar un der an al tere d form S till the
.

written wor d has th i s a d vantage that i t l asts

,

an d can awa i t the ti me when i t i s allowe d to

take eff ect .

37 8

B oth what i s reasonable an d w hat i s u nr e a

sonable have to undergo the like c ontradi c tion .

3 79

iale c ti c is the c ulture Of the spirit f contra

D o

diction wh i ch i s given to man that he may learn

,

t per c e i ve the d i fl
o between things
e r e n ce s .

3 8 0

With those wh o are really Of l ike disposition

with h imself a man cannot long be at var i an c e ;
he will always c ome to an agreement aga i n .

With those who are really of a dverse di sposi

ti on he may in vai n try to preserve harmony ;
,

he will always come to a separation aga i n .

3 8 1

Opponents fancy they refute u s when they

re p eat the i r o w n opin i on an d pay no attent i on
t o ours .
14 4MAXIMS AND RE FLEC TIONS O F GOE THE
I have alway p aid at tention to the merits
s of

my enemies and found it an advantage

, .

3 8 8

Th ere are man y men w h o fan cy th e y under

stand wh atever the y ex p erien c e .

8
3 9

The publi c must be treated li k e women : th e y

must be told absol utely nothing b u t wh at th e y
l i ke t o h ear .

39 °

E ver y age of man h as a c ertain phi losop hy

answering to it The chil d comes o u t as a
.

realist : he finds h i ms elf as convi nce d that pears

an d apples ex i st as that he himself ex i sts The .

youth i n a storm of inner pass i on is force d to

turn his gaze w i thi n and feel i n advance wh at
,

he i s go ing to be : he is changed into an ideal

i st But the man has every reason to be c ome a
.

s c e p t i c z he d oes well to d oubt whether the

means h e h as ch ose n to h i s en d are the right

ones Before an d d uring action he has every
.

reason for keeping h i s un d erstan di n g mobile ,

that he may n ot afterwards have to grieve over

a false c hoi c e Y e t when he grows Old he will
.
 LIF E AND C HARACTER 1 5 4

always c on fess him elf a mysti c h e sees that

s : so

much see s to depen d

m chan c e ; that folly
on

suc c ee d and wi d om fails ; that good and evil

s s

f ortu ne are brought unexpe c te dl y t t h same o e

level ; s o it is and S O it has been and ol d age ,

a c q uies c es in th at whi ch is and w as and will be .

39 I

W h en a man grows Old h e m u st c ons c iously

re m ain at a c e rtain stage .

39 2

It does not be c ome an ol d man t o r u n a fter

the fas hion e ither in thought o r in d ress But
, .

h e m ust know where he i s and what the others ,

are a i m i ng at .

W hat i s calle d fashion is the tra dit i on o f the

moment A ll tra di tion carr i es with it a certai n
.

necess i ty f o r people to put themsel v es o n a

level with it .

393

We have
long been b usy with th e c ritique o f
reas on I Sh ould like t o s e e a critique Of
.

c omm on sense It would be a real benefit t o

-
.

mankind if we c ould convin c i ngly p ro v e t o the

14 6 MAXI MS A ND REFLE CTIO NS OF GOE THE
ordi nary intelligen c e h ow far it c an go ; and
that i s just as much as it full y requ ires for l i fe
o n this earth .

3 94

Th e t hinker makes a great mistak e wh en h e

asks after cause and e ff ect : they both toge t h er
make up the in di visible phenomenon .

395

All pra c ti c al men try to bring the world un

der their hands ; all thi nkers un d er their heads
, .

H o w far ea c h s u c c eeds the y may both s e e f or

,

themselves .

39 6

S hall we that a man thinks only wh en he

say

c annot think o ut that o f whi c h he is thinking !

39 7

W h at is invention discovery ! It
or is the
c on cl usion Of what we were looking for .

39 8

It is with h istory as with nature and with

everyth in g of an y depth it may be past present
, , ,

o r future : the f urther we serio usl y pursue it ,

th e more di ffi c ult are th e problems that appear .

L I T ERA T URE AND AR T
15 2 M A XI M S A ND RE FL EC TIO NS OF G O E T HE
4 0 6

Ex c ellent work is unfath omable approach

, it
as you will .

4 0 7
It is not language in itse l f whi c h i s c orre c t or
forc i ble o r elegant but the mind that i s embodied
,

i n i t ; and so i t is n ot for a man to determine

whether he will give h i s calculations or speeches
o r poems the d esire d q u alities : the question i s

whether Nature has given h i m the inte llectual

an d moral qualities whi c h fit h i m for the work
—the intellectual power of observation an d i n
,

s igh t the moral p ower O f repelli ng the e vil spiri t s

,

that might hi nder hi m from paying res p e c t t o

truth .

4 0 8

The app eal to p osterity s prings from the p ure ,

strong feeling of the existence of something i m

perishable ; something that even though i t be
,

not at once re c ognise d will in the end he g r ati

,

fie d by finding the minority turn into a majority .

4 0 9

When a n e w literature su cc eeds it obs c ures ,

th e e fi e ct o f an earlier one and i t s o w n e fi e ct

,
 L ITERAT URE A ND A R T 153

predominates ; th at it is well from time to

so ,

t i me to look ba c k What is or i gi nal in us is

, .

best preserved and qui ckene d i f we d o not lose

s i gh t f those w h o have gone be fore
o us .

4 10

Th e most original authors of modern times

are s o n ot be c a use they produce what is new
, ,

but only be c ause the y are able t o say things

the like o f w hi ch see m ne v er t o h av e been said
be fore .

4 1 1

T hus th e best S ig n of originality lies

taking u p a subje c t and then developing it
fully as to make every on e confess th at
would h ardly h av e found so m uch in it .

4 1 2

There are many thoughts th at c ome only fro m

general culture l i ke buds from green branches
, .

When roses bloom yo u se e them blooming e very

,

where .

4 1 3
‘
L ucidity is a du e dis tr ibut ion of light and
sh ade .
’
Ha m ann .
15 4 M AXIMS AND RE FLEC TIO NS OF GO E T HE
4 14

A man who has no acquai ntan c e with foreign

languages knows nothing of his ow n .

4 1 5
W e must remember that there are many men
wh o w ithout being produ c tive are anxious t o
, ,

s ay someth i ng im p ortant and th e res u lts are

,

most cur i ous .

4 1 6

D eep an d earnes t thinke r s are in a di ff i cult

p osition with regard to the p ublic .

4 1 7

S ome books seem have been w ritt en not

to ,

to teach us anyth i ng but to let us know th at

,

the a uthor has known something .

4 1 8

An author c an Sh ow no greater respect for

hi s publi c than by never br i ng i ng i t what i t
expects but what he hi mself thi nks ri ght an d
,

proper i n that stage o f h i s own an d others cul ’

ture i n wh i ch f o r the time he finds hi mself .

15 6 MAXIMS AND REFL EC T IO NS OF GO E T HE
obje c tive and des c riptive This w as inevitable ;
.

because otherwi se the whole of mo d ern p o etry

woul d have t o b e di scar d e d It i s n o w O b v i o us
.

that when men of tru ly poeti cal gen i us appear ,

they w ill d escribe more o f the parti c ul ar feel

i ngs O f the i nner life than o f the general facts
o f the great l i fe o f the worl d Thi s has alrea dy
.

taken place t o such a d egree that we have a

poetry without figures of S peech which can by ,

n o means be refuse d all pra i se .

4 24

S up erstition is the poetry of life and , so it

does not hurt the poet to be superstitio us .

4 2 5
That glorio us h ymn Ve ni C r e a t or Sp i r i t u s
, ,

is really an appeal to genius That i s why i t .

speaks so powerfully to men o f intellect and

power .

4 2 6

Translators are lik e busy matc h makers : they -

sing the pra i ses o f some half veile d beauty and-

,

extol her charms and aro use an irresistible

,

longing for th e original .

 LITERA TURE A ND A R T

4 2 7
A S pinoza in p oetry becomes a M a chiavelli in
philos p hy
o .

4 2 8

A gainst the three un i ties t h ere i s nothi ng to

be sai d i f the subject i s very s imple ; but there
,

are times when thrice three un i ties skilfull y ,

interwoven produce a very pleasant e ff e c t

, .

4 2 9
Th e sentimentality of th e En glish is h umor
o us and tender ; o f the F rench popular and ,

p atheti c ; o f the Germans nai ve and realistic , .

4 3 0

Mysti c ism is th e scholasti c of the h eart th e

!

dialecti c of th e f eelings .

4 3 1

If a man sets ou t to reproa ch an a u thor with

obscurity he should first o f all examine his own
,

mind t o se e if he i s himself all clearness within

, .

Twili ght makes e ven plain wri ting illegible .

4 3 2

It i s with books as with new a c quaintan c es .

At first we are highly delighte d if we find a ,

15 8 M AX IMS A ND RE FLE C TI ONS OF G OE THE
general agreement i f we are p leasantly moved
,
-

on any O f the chief Sid es of our existence W i th .

a closer acquaintance di fi e r e n c e s come to l i ght :

an d then reasonable con d uct ma in ly cons i sts i n
not shrink i ng back at once as may happen in ,

youth but i n keep i ng firm hol d o f the thi n gs

,

i n whi ch we agree an d bein g quite clear about

,

the th i ngs i n wh i ch we differ without on that ,

account des i r i ng any un i on .

4 33

In psy c hologi cal reflection the greatest di f fi

culty i s thi s : that i nner and outer must alway s
b e v i ewe d in parallel l i nes o r rather inter , , ,

woven It i s a conti nual systole an d diastole

.
,

an insp i ration and an exp i rati on of the l i ving

soul If this c annot be put i nto words it shoul d
.
,

be c arefully marke d an d note d .

4 34

My relations w i th S chiller rested on the

d ec ide d ten dency f both f us toward a s ingle
o o s

a i m and
, c ommon activity reste d
o ur the on

diversity of the means by whi c h we endeavo red u

t atta i n that a i m
o .
160 MAXIM S A ND RE FLEC TIONS OF GO E THE
4 38

Vario u s maxims the an c ients whi ch we are

of ,

wont to repeat again and aga i n ha d a meaning ,

quite di ff erent fro m that whi ch is apt t o at t ach

to the m in later times .

4 39

The saying that n o o n e who i s un ac qu ainted

with or a stranger t o geometry should enter the
philosopher s sch ool d oes not mean th at a man
’
,

must become a mathemati c ian to attain the

wis d om of the wor ld .

440

Geometry is h ere tak en in 1 t s p ri mary

elements such as are conta i ned in Eu c li d and
,

laid b efore every beg i nner ; an d then i t is the

most perfect prop ae d eutic an d introduction t o
phi losophy .

44 1

When a boy be gins to understand that an

i nvis ible poi nt must always come before a vis ible
one , an d that the shortest way b etween two
points i s a stra ight l i ne before he can draw i t
,

o n h i s paper w i th a penc il he expe ri ences a cer

,

ta i n pri d e an d pl easure A n d he i s not wrong

.
 L ITERA TURE A ND A R T 16 1

for h e h as the source of all thought Opene d to

h i m i d ea and real i ty p ot e n t i a e t a ct u are
, ,

be come clear ; the philosopher has no new dis

c o ve r y t o bring him ; as a mathematician he ,

has found the basis o f all thought for hi mself .

44 2

A nd if we turn to that significant utteran c e ,

Kn ow t hy s e lf we must not explain i t i n an

,

asceti c sense It i s in nowi se the self know

.
-

le dge o f our mo d ern h yp och o n d ri st s humorists , ,

and self tormentors -

It simply means : pay
.

some attention t o y o urself ; take note o f y our

self ; so that y o u may know h o w yo u come to
stand towards those like y o u and towar ds the
worl d This involves no ps y c h ological torture
.

every capable man knows and feels what it

means It i s a piece o f goo d a dvi ce which
.

every o n e will find o f th e greatest advantage i n

p racti ce .

443

Le t us remember how great the an c ients

were ; and espec i ally h o w the S ocratic school
hol ds up t o us the source an d stan d ar d O f all
life an d acti on and bi ds us not indulge in empty
,

speculati on b u t l i ve and do
, .
16 2 MAXIMS A ND REFLEC TIO NS OF GOE T HE
444

SO long as o ur scholast ic educati on takes us

back to anti qu i ty an d furthers the study of the
Greek and L ati n languages we may c ongr at u ,

late ourselves that these studies s o nece ssary ,

for the hi gher cultu re w i ll never disapp ear

, .

445

If we gaze on antiquity and earn estly

se t ou r

stu dy it in the desire to form ourselves thereon

, ,

we get th e feeling as if it were only then that

we really be c ame men .

44 6

The p edagogue in trying t o write and s pe ak

,

L ati n has a higher and gran der idea o f h imsel f

,

than wo uld be permissible in ordi nary li fe .

447

In the presence of antiquity the mind th at is ,

susceptible to poetry an d art fee l s itself pla c e d

in the most pleas ing ideal state of nature ; an d
even to thi s day the H omeri c hymns have the
power o f free i ng us at any rate for moments
, , ,

fr o m the fr ightful bur d en whi ch the tra dition

of several thousan d years has rolle d upon u s .
164 MAXIMS A N REFLEC TIONS O F GO E T HE
D

thi ngs that c oul d have happened ; an d for the ,

rea d er s sake he must determ i ne what actually

’
,

did happen Hi action towards h i mself is a

. s

matter between himself and hi s colleagues ; but

the public mus t not se e into the secret that
there i s little i n history whi ch c an be said t o be
positiv ely d etermi ned .

4 53

The historian s duty is t o sep arate th e tru e

’

from the false the certain from the un c ertain ;

,

an d the doubtful from that whi ch c annot be

accepte d .

4 54

It is seldom that any o n e o f great age

bec o mes h istorical to hi mself and fin ds hi s ,

c o n t e m p o r ar re s become historical to him s o ,

that he neither c ares nor is able t o argue with

any one .

4 55

Oa closer examination of th e matter i t will

n ,

be foun d that the histori an does not e as ily grasp

h istory as someth i ng h istorical In whatever .

age he may l i ve the historian always wri tes as

,

though he hi mself ha d been present at the ti me

 L ITERATURE A ND A R T

of whi ch h e treats instead of sim p ly narrating

,

the facts and movements o f that ti me E ven .

th e mere c h ronicler onl y points more or less t o

h i s o w n limitations o r the pe cu liarities of hi s
,

to w n or monastery o r age .

45 6

W e really learn onl y from th ose book s whi ch

we cannot criti c ise The author o f a book
.

whi ch we c ould criti c ise would have t o learn

from us .

4 57

Th at i s th e reason why th e Bible will never

lose i t s power ; be cau se as long as the worl d
k

lasts no o n e can stand up and say : I gras p i t

,

as a whole and understand all t h e parts o f it .

B ut we say h umbly : as a whole i t is worthy of

respect and in all i t s p arts it is applicable
, .

45 8

There is and will be m uch di scussion as to

th e use and harm of cir c ulating the Bible O n e .

th i ng is clear to me : mischief wil l res ul t as ,

h eretofore by using it ph ant ast i cal ly as a

,

s ystem o f d ogma ; benefit as heretofore by a , ,

loving ac c eptance of i t s tea chi ngs .

166 MAXI MS A ND RE FLE CTI O NS OF GOE THE
4 59

I am con vi nced that the Bible will always be

more beauti ful the more it is un derstood ; the
more that is we s e e an d Observe that every
, ,

word whic h we take in a general sense and

apply spec i all y to ourselves ha d un d er certa i n
, ,

circumstances of ti me an d place a p eculi ar , ,

s p e c ial an d di re c tly indi vidual referen c e

, .

4 60

T h e incurable evil o f rel i gious c ontroversy is

that wh ile one party wants to connect the
h ighest interest o f humanity with fables an d
phrases the other tries to rest it o n thi ngs that
,

satisfy no o n e .

4 6 1

I f o n e h as not read the news p ap ers for some

months an d then rea d s them all together one ,

sees as o n e never saw before how mu c h time i s

, ,

wasted with this kind of literature .

4 6 2

The c lassi c al is health ; and the romanti c ,

disease .
1 68 MAX IM S A ND RE FL EC TIO NS OF G OE TH E

4 67
1

What a d ay it is when we m ust en vy th e

men i n the i r graves !
4 6 8

The things that are true good ex c ellent are

, , ,

s i mple an d always al ike whatever their ap pear

,

ance may b e But the error that we blame i s

.

extremely manifol d and varying ; it i s in con

fli c t not only with the goo d an d the true b ut ,

also with i tself ; i t i s self c ontr a dictory Thus

-
.

i t is that the words Of blame i n o u r literature

m ust ne c essarily outnumbe r the words of p raise .

6
4 9

The Gree k s whose p oetry and rh etori c was of

,

a simple and positive c haracter express appr o val ,

more Often than disap proval W i th th e L ati n .

wr i ters it is the contrary ; and the more p oetry

an d the arts o f speech d eca y th e more will ,

blame swell and p raise shrink .

4 7 °

Wh at are tragedies but the ve r si fie d p ass i ons

of people who make H ea v en k nows what ou t o f
’
the extern al world !
 LITERATURE A ND A R T

4 7I

There are c ertain empirical enthusiasts wh o

are quite right i n sh o wi n g the i r enthusiasm
over new pro d uctions that are goo d ; but they
are as ecstati c as if there were no other goo d
work in the world at all .

4 7 2

In S a kon t a la th e poet app ears in his hi gh est

fun c tion .A s the representative o f the most
natural condi tion o f thi n gs the finest mo d e of
,

l i fe the p urest moral en d eavour the worth i est

, ,

majesty and the most solemn worship he

, ,

ventures o n c ommon and ridi c ulo us contrasts .

4 73

S h akes p eare s ’
y
He n r y I V: If ever thing were
lost that has ever been preserved to us o f this
kin d of writing th e arts Of poetry and rhetor i c
,

could be c omp letely restored out of this o n e

play .

4 74

S hak espeare s finest dramas are want i ng h ere

’

an d there i n facility : they are something more

than the y should be and f or that very reason
,

indi c ate th e great poet .

1 70 MAXIMS A ND REFLEC TIO NS OF GO E THE
4 75

S hakespeare dangerous reading for bu ddi ng

is
talents he compe l s them to repro d uce h i m
an d the y fan c y the y are pro d ucing themselves .

47 6

Y orick S terne was the fin est sp i rit that ever

worke d To rea d h i m i s to attain a fin e feel i ng
.

o f free d om ; his humour is inimitable and it i s ,

not every kind of humour that frees the soul .

4 77

The pe culiar value o f so c alled p opular

-

balla ds is that their motives are drawn direct

from nature Th is however i s an a d vantage
.
, ,

o f wh i ch the poet of culture could also a v ail

himself if he knew how to do it

, .

4 7 8

B ut i n popular ballads there is always this

a dvantage that i n the art o f sayi ng things
,

shortly une ducate d men are always better

skilled than those who are in the str i ct sense
o f the wor d e d ucate d .
1 72 MAXIM S A ND REFLE CTIONS OF GO E THE
4 84

F or all other A rts we must make some allow

ance ; but to Greek A rt alone we are always
debtors .

8
4 5

There i s no surer way of eva di n g the worl d

than by A rt ; an d no surer way of un rt in g with
it than by Art .

7
4 6
8

Even i n the moments f highest happiness

o

and deep est misery we need the A rtist .

8
4 7

F alse tenden c ies of

the senses are a kind o f
des i re after realism always better than that
,

false ten d enc y which expresses itself as ideal

i st i c long i ng
.

4 88

The dignity of A rt appears perhaps most

c onspi cu o usly i n M usic ; for in Mus ic there
is no materi al to b e de ducted It i s wholly.

form an d i ntrinsic value an d it raises an d

,

ennobles all that it expresses .

 L ITERA T URE A ND A R T

4 89

It is onl y by Art and espe c ially by P oetry

, ,

that the imagination is regulate d Noth i n g i s .

more

49 0

If we were t o d esp i se A rt o n the groun d that

i t i s an i m i tati on of Nature it might be ,

answered that Nature also 1m 1t at e s much else ;

further that A rt d oes n o t exactly im i tate that
,

whi c h can be seen by the eyes but goes back to ,

that element o f reason of which Nature c onsists

and a cc ording t o whi c h Nature acts .

49I

F urther the , Arts

also produ c e mu ch o ut of
themselves and on the other han d add much
, , ,

where Natu re fa ils in perfection in that they ,

p o ssess beauty i n themselves S O i t was that .

P h e i di as coul d sc ul pture a god although he

ha d noth i ng that coul d be seen by the eye to
imi tate but grasped the appearance which Z eus
,

h imself woul d have if h e were to c ome before

o ur ey es .
17 4 MAXIM S A ND RE FLEC TIONS OF GO E THE
49 2

Art rests upon a ki n d of religious sense i t is :

deeply and inera d icably in earnest Thus it i s .

that Art so w i llingly goes han d i n h and wi th

R el i gion .

4 93
A noble p h ilosopher s p oke of arc hi te c ture as
f r oze n m u s i c ; and it was inevitable that man y
pe ople shoul d shake the ir heads over his
remark We believe that no better re p eti ti on
.

o f th i s fine thought can be given than by c alli ng

archi te c ture a sp e e chle ss m u si c .

4 94
Art isessentially nobl e ; therefore the artist
has noth i ng to fear from a low or common
subject Nay by tak i ng i t up he ennobles it ;
.
, ,

an d so i t i s that we see t h e greatest artists

bol dly exer c ising their so v ereign r i ghts .

4 95
In every artist there i s a germ of daring ,

with o u t whi c h no talent is c on c eivable .

49 6

All th e artists who are already known to me

from so m an y sides I propose to c onsider exclu
,
1 76 MAXIM S A ND REFL EC TI O NS OF GOE THE
5 0 1

Blunt n arve t y stubborn vigour s crup ul ous

, ,

observan c e o f rule an d any other epithets which

,

may apply t o ol der German Ar t are a part o f ,

every earlier an d simpler artistic metho d The .

ol der Venetians Florenti nes and others had it

, ,

all too .

5 0 2

Be c ause A lbre c ht D urer with hi s i n com par

,

able talent coul d never rise t o the i d ea o f the

,

symm etry o f beauty or even to th e thought o f

,

a fitting c onformit t o the obje c t in v iew are

y ,

we ne ver t o Sp urn the ground !

Albrecht Durer ha d the advantage f a very o

profoun d real i sti c percepti on an aff ectionate ,

human sympathy w i th all present con di tions .

H e was kept back by a gloomy p h antasy devoid ,

b oth f form an d foun dati on

o .

5 4 0

It would be interesti ng to show h ow M arti n

S ch On stands near him and h ow the merits o f
,

German Art were restricted to th ese two ; and

useful also to show that it w as n ot evening
ever y day .
 LITE R ATURE AND A R T 177

In every Italian school th e bu tterfly break s

loose from th e C hry salis .

506

After Klop sto ck released u s from r hy me and ,

Voss gave us models o f prose are we to make ,

doggerel again like H ans S a c hs !

5 0
7
Le t be man y sided ! Turn i ps are good but
us -
,

the y are be st m ixe d with ch estn u ts A nd these

.

t w o noble p rodu c ts of the earth grow far apart .

5 8
0

In every kind o f A rt there i s a d egree o f excel

lence which may be reache d S O to speak by the
, ,

mere use o f o n e s o w n natural talents But at

’
.

the same time it is imposs ible to go beyond that

point u nl ess Art comes to one s aid
,
’
.

5 0 9

In the pre sence of Nature e v en moderate

talent i s alway s possessed o f insight ; hence
drawi ngs from N ature that are at all c arefully
done always gi v e pleasure .
1 78 M AX IMS A ND REFLEC TIO NS OF GO E T HE
5 10

To make many sketches issue at last in a

complete work is someth ing that not even the
best artists always achi eve .

5 1 1

In the s phere of true A rt there i s n o pre para

tory school but there i s a way of p reparat i on ;
,

an d the best preparati on i s the interest o f the

most i ns i gnificant pup il in the work o f the
master C olour grin d ers have often m ade excel
.
-

lent pa i nters .

5 1 2

If an arti st grasps Nature arigh t and contrives

to g i ve i t s form a no bler freer grace no one
, ,

will understan d the source of h i s i nspi rati o n ,

and every one will swear that he h as taken it

fro m the ant i que .

5 13

In stu dying the human form let th e p ainter ,

reject what i s exaggerate d false an d mechan , ,

i cal ; but let hi m learn to grasp o f what i nfinite

gra c e the human body is c ap able .
S C IE N C E
1 84 MAXI MS A ND REFLEC TIONS OF GOE THE
5 8 1

In the history o f sc i ence an d throughout the

whole course o f its pr o gress we se e certa in
epochs fo ll owi ng one another m o re or less
rap idly S ome i mportant view i s expresse d it
.
,

may be orig i nal o r only revive d ; sooner o r later

it receives recognit i on ; fell o w W orkers S pr i ng -

up ; the outcome o f i t fin d s i t s way i nto the

schools ; it i s taught an d han d e d d own ; and we
observe unhapp i ly t h at i t d oes not in the least
, ,
'

matter whether the v i ew be true o r false In .

either case its course is the same ; in e i ther case

it comes in the en d to be a mere phr ase a ,

l i feless word stamped on t h e memory .

5 9 1

F i rst let a man teach himself and then he ,

will be taught by others .

5 20

T h eories are usually the over h asty e ff orts o f -

an impat i ent un d erstan di ng that woul d gla dly

be r i d o f phen o mena an d so puts i n the i r p l ace
,

p i ctures noti ons nay O f ten mere words We

, , ,
.

may surm i se o r even s e e qui te wel l that suc h

, ,

theor i es are make s hi fts ; but d o not pass i on an d

-
 SC IENCE 18 5

party S pirit love a make sh i ft at all times ! A nd

- -

rightly t o o because they stan d i n S O much need

, ,

o f it
.

5 2 1

It is di fficult t o kn o w how to treat the errors

o f the age If a man oppose them he stan d s
.
,

alone ; i f he surren d er to them they br ing h i m ,

neither joy n o r cre di t .

5 2 2

There are some hun dred C hristian se c ts every ,

o n e o f them acknowle d g i ng G o d and the L ord

in i t s o w n way w ithout troubling themselves

,

f urther about o n e anoth er In the stu dy o f.

nature nay in every stu dy th i ngs must o f

, , ,

necess i ty come to the same p ass F or what is .

the meani ng o f every o n e speaki ng o f tolerati o n ,

and trying to prevent others from thinking and

expressing themselves after th eir ow n fashion !

5 3 2

To communicate kn o wle dge by means o f

analogy appears to me a process equally useful
an d pleasant The analogous case is not the re
.

to force itself on the attenti on or prove anything ;

i t offers a comparison with some other c ase but ,
186 MAX IMS A ND REFLEC TIO NS
GOE THE OF

is not in union with it S everal analogo s c ases

. u

do t joi n to f rm a scri e d row they are l ike

no o :

goo d soc i ety wh,i ch always suggests more than

i t grants .

5 4 2

To err is t o be as though truth di d not exis t .

T O l ay bare the error t o oneself and oth ers i s

retrospe c tive dis c overy .

5 2 5
With the growth o f knowledge o u r i deas
must from t ime to ti me be organ i se d afresh .

The change takes place u sually i n accord ance

with new max i ms as they arise but i t always ,

remains pro vis i onal .

5 6 2

When we find facts wi th i n o u r knowle dge

exh ibi ted by some new metho d or even it may , ,

be describe d i n a foreign language they receive

, ,

a peculi ar charm of novelty an d wear a fresh

arr .

5 7 2

If two masters o f the same art dif fer in the i r

statement o f it in al l l i kel i hoo d the i nsolubl e
,

problem lies midway between them .

188 MAXIMS A ND REFLEC TIO NS OF GO E THE
533
When a man sees a phenomenon be fore him ,

h i s thoughts often range beyon d it ; when he

hears i t only talked about he has no thoughts ,

at all .

534
A u t hor i t y . M an cannot exist without it an d ,

yet it brings in i ts train just as much error as of

o f truth It perpetuates o n e by o n e t hi ngs wh i ch

.

should pass away on e by o n e ; i t rejects that

whi ch shoul d be p reserved and allows it t o pass
away ; and i t is c hiefly to blame f or mankind s ’

want of progress .

535
Authority the fa c t namely that something
, ,

h alrea dy happene d or b en said

as de c ided i
e or , s

of great value ; but it i onl y a p edant wh o

s

de ands auth ority for e veryth ing

m .

53 6

An foundat i on i s worthy of all res p ect

ol d ,

but it must n o t t ake from us the righ t t o buil d

afresh wherever we will .

53 7
O ur a dvice is that every man Sh ould remain
in the path he has struck o ut f or himself and ,
 S CIENCE 189

refuse to be o v erawed by au th ority h amp ered,

by prevalent Opinion or c arried away by fashi on

, .

53 8

The various branches of knowledge always

ten d as a whole to stray away from life and ,

return thither only by a roundabout way .

539
Fo r th e y are in truth text books of
, ,
-

th ey gather outer and inner ex p erien c es

a general and c onne c t e d w h ole .

54 °

A n imp ortant fact an ingenious p c

, a e r u,

o ccu pies a very great number f men at first o ,

onl y to make acquaintance with it ; then to

u nderstand it ; and afterwards to work it t ou

and c arry it furth er .

S4 I
O n the ap p earan c e o f anything new t h e mass
o f people as k : What i s the u se o f it ! And
they are not wrong F or it is only through
.

the us e o f any th ing that they c an p er c ei v e its

value .
190 MAX IM S A ND REFLEC TIO NS OF G OE THE
54 2

The tr uly wise as k what t h e th ing is in itself

and i n relation to other things and d o not ,

trouble themselves about the use of t i — in ,

other words about t he way in which it may be

,

appl i ed to the necessities o f ex istence an d what

is alre ady known This wi ll soon be dis covered
—
.

by mi n ds o f a very diff erent order minds that

feel the joy o f li ving and are keen adroit and
, , ,

practi cal .

54 3
Every in v estigator must be fore all things
look upon hi mself as one who is summoned to
serve on a jury H e h as only to cons ider how
.

far the statement o f the c ase i s c omplete and

clearly se t forth by th e evide n c e Then he .

draws hi s c onc lusion an d gives his v ote wh ether ,

it be that h is o p inion c oin c ides with that of the

foreman o r not .

54 4
A nd in a c ting thus he remains equally at ease
whether the majori ty agree with hi he fin d m or s

hi mself in a minority F or he has d one what

.

he c oul d he h : expressed hi c onvic ti ons

as s

and he is not master f the minds o h e rts f or a o

others .
19 2 M AXI MS A ND REFLEC TIO NS OF GO E T HE
Wh at i s a musi c al string an d all i ts m echan
,

ical di v i s i on i n compar ison wi th the mus i c i an s

,
’

ear ! M ay we not also say what are the ele ,

mentary phenomena of nature itself c o mpared

w ith man who must co n trol an d mo dify them
,

all before he can in any way assimilate them to

himself
54 9
To
a n e w truth there is nothing more hurtful
than an ol d error .

55 °

The ultimate origin o f thi ngs i s completely

beyond o u r faculties ; hence when we s e e
anything c ome into be ing we look upon it as
,

having been alrea dy there This is why we

.

find the theory o f e m boi t e m e nt intelligible .

55 I

Th ere are many problems in nat ural s c i en c e

o n whi ch we cannot fit t i n l y S peak unless we
g
call metaphys i cs to our a id ; b ut not the wis d om
o f the schools whi ch cons i sts i n mere v erb i age
,
.

It i s that wh i ch was before p hysi c s exists with ,

it an d w ill be af t er it
, .
 S C IENCE 19 3

55 2

S in c e m enare really i nterested in noth ing but

the i r o w n Opinions every o n e wh o puts forward
,

an Opini on looks about h i m ri ght an d left f o r

means o f strengthening hi mself and others in i t .

A man avails himself o f the tr uth s o long as it

i s serviceable ; but he seizes o n what i s false
with a pass i onate eloquence as soon as h e c an
m ake a m omentary use o f it ; whether it be to

dazzle others with it as a ki nd o f half truth or -

,

to employ it as a stopgap for e ff ect i ng an

apparent union bet w een th i n gs that have been
di sjointed Th is experience at first caused me
.

annoy an c e an d th en sorrow ; and now it is

,

a sour c e o f misc h ievous satisfaction I h ave

.

ple d ged myself never again to exp ose a

pro c ee di ng o f th is kind .

5 53
E verything that we call In vention o r Di s
c o v e r y in the higher sense o f the word is the

seri ous exerc ise an d activ i ty o f an o riginal feel

i ng for truth whi ch after a long course of silent
, ,

cultivat i on su dd en l y flashes o u t i nto fru i tful

,

k nowledge It is a revelation working fr om

.
19 4 MAXIMS A ND RE F LEC TIO NS OF GO E THE
within on the outer world and lets a m an feel
,

that he i s ma d e i n the i mage Of God It is a .

synthesis o f World an d M in d giving the most ,

blessed assuran c e o f the eternal h ar m ony of

thi ngs .

554
A man m ust cling to the belie f th at th e
in c omprehensible i c omp rehensible ; oth er ise
s w

he would t try t fathom it

no o .

555
Th ere are pedants w h o are also ras cals and ,

th e y are the worst of all .

55 6

A man does not nee d to h ave seen or e xpe r i

e n ce d everyth ing himself B u t if he i s t o com
.

m i t h i mself to an o ther s exp erien c es and h i s

’

way of putting them let him consider th at he

—
,

has t o do wi th three things th e obje c t in

question and two subjects .

557
Th e supreme achievement would be to se e

that stating a fact i s sta rti ng a theory .

19 6 MAXIM S A ND RE F LEC TIONS OF GO E THE
5 6 1

O m istake i s that we d oubt what i s certa i n

ur

an d want to establis h what i s uncerta i n M y .

max i m in the stu dy o f Nature i s th i s : h o l d

fast what is certain and k ee p a watch o n wh at
i s uncerta i n .

5 6 2

What a master a man would be in hi s ow n

subject if he taugh t nothing useless

6
5 3
The greatest p iece of folly i s that every man
thinks himself compelled to hand down what
p eople thi nk they have known .

6
5 4
If man y a man did n o t feel obliged t o re p eat
what i s untrue because he has sa id i t once the
, ,

world would have been quite diff erent .

6
5 5
Every man looks at the world lying rea dy
befo re hi m ordere d an d fash i one d i nto a com
,

p l e t e whole as
, after a ll but an element out o f
whi ch h i s en deavo ur i s to create a spec i al worl d
 SC IENCE 19 7

s u ited t o himself C apable men lay h old of the

.

worl d w i thout hesitati on an d try to shape the i r

course as best they can ; others dally over it ,

an d some doubt even o f their o w n existen c e .

The man who felt the full force of th i s funda

mental truth w o ul d di spute with no one but ,

look upon another s mode of thought equally

’

with h is o w n as merely a phenome n on F or

,
.

we find almost dail y that o n e man can thin k

with e ase what another c annot poss ibly think at
all ; and that t o o n o t in matters wh i ch might
, ,

have some sort Of e ff ect upon the i r common

weal o r w oe but in things wh i ch cannot to uch
,

them at all .

5 6 6

There i s nothing more odious th an the

majority ; i t c ons i s t s of a few powerful men to
lea d the way ; o f accommo d ati ng rascals and
su b miss i ve weaklings ; an d o f a mass o f m e n
who trot after th em with out in the least
,

knowing their o w n min d .

6
5 7
When 1 Observe the l um i nous progress and
expans i on of natural sc i ence in modern times ,

I seem t o myself l ike a trave ll er go i ng east

19 8 MAX IMS A ND RE FLE CTIO NS
GO ETHE OF

war d at dawn an d gazing at the growing l i ght

s ,

w i th joy but also w i th impatience ; look i ng f

, or

war d w i th longi ng to the a d vent f the full d o an

fi al l ight but ne v ertheless ha i ng to turn

n , , , v

away hi s eyes when the appeared unable su n ,

to bear th e Splendour h e h ad awaited with so

mu ch desire .

5 6 8

W e pra i se th e eigh teenth c entu ry for con c ern

ing its elf chiefly with analysis The task .

remain i ng to the n i neteenth is to d iscover the

false sy ntheses whi c h prevail and to analyse ,

th eir c onten t s anew .

6
5 9
A s ch ool may be regarded as a single indi
vidual who talks to himsel f f or a hundr ed
years and takes an extraor di nary pleasure in
,

h i s o w n being h owever fool i sh an d silly it

,

may be .

5 7 °

In science it is a servi ce of the h i ghest mer i t

to seek out those fragmentary truths attai ne d
by the ancients and t o de vel o p them further
,
.
200 MAXIM S AND RE FLE CTI O NS OF GO E THE
5 75
W h at a true saying it is that h e wh o wants
to d ece i ve m ankin d must before all things
make absurdity plaus ible .

57 6

The further knowle dge advan c es the nearer ,

we come t o the unfathomable : the more we

know h o w t o use ou r knowledge the better we
,

se e th at th e u n fathomable i s of n o p ra c ti c al
118 6 .

5 77
The finest a c hievement for a man o f tho u gh t
is to have fathome d what may be fathomed and ,

quietly to revere the unfathomable .

57 8

The d is c erning man wh o a cknowledges h is

limitations i s not far ofl perfe c tion .

5 79
There are two things of which a man cannot
be c areful enough : o f obsti nacy if he confines
himself to h i s o w n l i ne of thought ; o f i n c om pe
teney i f he goes b eyon d it
,
.
 SC IEN C E 20 1

5 8 0

In c om p eten cy is a greater Obsta c le to p eri c e

tion than o n e woul d think .

5 8 1

Th e c entur y advan c es ; but e v ery indi v idu al

begins an ew .

5 8 2

W h at friends do with and for us is a real

us

p art o f ou r life ; f or it strengthens and advances

o u r p ersonalit y The assault o f o ur enemies is
.

no t p art o f o u r li f e it i s only part of our e xp e

ri e n ce ; we th ro w it O H and guard oursel v es

a gains t it as against frost storm rain hail or

, , , ,

an y oth er o f the external e vils wh i c h may be

ex p e c ted to h app en .

8
5 3
A man c annot live with e very and there
on e ,

fore he c annot live for every one T o se e th i s

.

tr uth aright i s to place a high value up o n !

o n e S frien d s an d not to hate o r perse c ute one s

’ ’

enemies Nay there is har dl y any greater

.
,

advantage for a man to gain than to find o u t ,

if he can the merits of h is Opponents : it giv e s

,
l

him a de c ided as c enden cy over th em .

20 2 MAXIMS A ND RE FLE CTIO NS OF GO E THE
8
5 4
Every one knows h o w to value what h e has
attai ne d i n life most of all the man who thi nks
and reflects in his old age H e h as a comfort .

a ble feel i ng that i t is something o f whi c h n o

o n e c an rob him .

8
5 5
The be st metemps yc hosis is for us to ap p ear
aga i n in others .

5 8 6

It is very seldom that we satisfy ourselves ;

all the more c onsoling i s it to have satisfied
others .

8
5 7

w elook ba ck upon our life only as on a

thi ng of broken p ie c es because o ur misses and
,

failures are alway s the first to strike us and ,

outwe i gh in o ur imagination wh at we have

done and attained .

5 8 8

Th e sympath eti c youth sees nothing o f th is ;

he reads enjoys and uses the youth o f one who
, ,

has gone before him and rejoi c es in it wi th all

,

his heart as though h e h ad on c e been what he

,

now i s .
NA T URE AP HO RI SMS
208 MAXIMS AND REFLECTIONS O F GO E THE
Natu re li v es in h er chil d e only and th e r n ,

mother where is h ! S h e is the sole artist

, s e ,

ou t f th e simplest
o aterial s th e greatest di v e
m r

si t y ; attaining with no trace

, f e ff ort the o ,

finest p erfection th e closest pre c ision al ay s

, , w

softly v eiled Ea ch f her works h as an essence

. o

of it e
s ow n
; v er y Sh a p e t h at S he takes i in idea s

utterly isolated ; d y et all for an m s one .

plays a drama ; wh eth er she s e es it h e r

S he
s elf we k now n o t ; and y et s h e plays it f o r us
, ,

wh o stand b u t a little way O ff .

Th ere is c on
tant li fe in her motion and de
s ,

v e l O pm e nt ; and y et Sh e re m a i n s w h ere sh e w as .

S he is e terna lly c hanging nor for a moment ,

does she stand still O f rest sh e knows nothing

.
,

and t o all stagnati on sh e h as a ffixed her c urse .

S he is steadfast ; h er step i s m e as ured h e r ,

ex c epti ons rare her l aws imm utable

, .

S he has th ought and ponders un c eas , Sh e

i ngl y ; not as a man b ut as Nature Th e , .

meaning of th e whole sh e kee ps t o h erself and ,

no o n e c an learn it o f her .
 NATUR E APHO R ISMS 209

M en are all in h er d h in all men W ith

, an s e .

all h plays a friendly game and re jo ces the

s e , i

more a man wins from her With many h er .

game i se c ret that S he brings it t an end

s so , o

before th e y are aware f it o .

E ve n wh at i s most u nnat ural i s Nat u re ; e ven

the c oarsest P hilistinism h as something of her
g eni u s.Who does not s e e her e v er y w h e r e s ee s ,

her nowh ere aright .

S h e lo v es h e r sel f and clings eternall y t o h er

,

s elf with eyes and h earts in n u merable S he h as .

divi ded herself that she may be h er o w n deligh t .

S h e i s e v er mak ing new c reatures Sp ring u p t o

deli ght in her and imparts herself insatiably
, .

S h e rejoi c es in illusion If a man destroys

.

this in himse l f and others sh e p unishes him ,

like the har d est tyrant If he follows h er in

.

confi d en c e sh e presses hi m t o her h eart as i t

,

were her chil d .

H er c hi ldren are numberless To no o n e of .

them is sh e altogether niggardly but sh e h as

her favour i tes on whom sh e lavis hes mu ch and
, ,

f or whom S he ma k es man y a sa c rifi c e O ver .

2 10 MAXIMS A ND REFLEC TIONS GOE THE
OF

the great sh e h as Spread th e Shield f h er o

protection .

S he Spurts forth her c reatures

noth ing o ut o f ,

and tell s the m not whence th ey c ome and

wh ith er they go They hav e only to go the i r
.

way : S he kno w s the p ath .

H er springs of a c tion are few but th e y ne v er

,

wear o ut : the y are alwa ys worki ng alway s ,

manifold .

Th e dr ama sh e plays is always new beca u se ,

S he is always bringing new spectat o rs L ife is .

her fairest invent i on an d D eath i s h er de vice

,

for havi ng life in abundance .

S he envelops man in dark ness and urges ,

h i m constantly to the light S he makes him .

depen dent on the earth heavy and sluggish

, ,

an d always rouses him up afresh .

S he creates wants because sh e loves move,

ment H ow marvellous that S he gains it all so

.

easily ! Every want is a benefit soon satisfie d , ,

soon growi ng aga i n If sh e g i ves more i t i s a

.
,
2 12 MA XIM S AND RE FL E C TIO N S OF GO E T HE
He r c ro
n is L ove O nly through L ove can
w .

'

we come near her S h e p u t s gulfs between all

.

things an d all things strive to be i n terfuse d

, .

S he isolates e v eryth ing that S he may draw ,

e veryth i ng together W ith a f e w draughts .

from the cup o f L o ve s h e repays for a life

full of trouble .

S h e is all things . S h e rewards h erself an d

p unishes herself ; and in h erself rejoices d is an

di stressed S he i s rough and gentle lo i ng and

.
, v

terr ible powerless an d alm ighty In her every

, .

th i ng i s always present P ast F uture S he . or

knows not The P resent i h er Eternity S he

. s .

i s kin d I praise her with all her works

. .

S h e i wise an d still N
s can force her . O one

to expla i n herself frighten her into a gift

, or

that S he d oes not give willingly S he is crafty .

,

but for a good end ; d it i best t t noti c e an s no o

her cunnin g .

S he i s wh ole and yet ne ver finished . As S he

works now , so c an sh e work for ever .

To every one S he appears i n a form o f his

ow n S he hi d es herself in a thousand names
.

and terms an d i s alway s the same

,
.
 NAT UR E AP H O R I S M S 213

She h as pla c ed in thi s w orld ; sh e w i ll

m e

al so lead me o ut of it I trust m yself to her

. .

S he may do with me as sh e p leas es S h e will .

n o t h ate her work I did not S peak o f h er

. .

N0 ! wh at i s tru e and wh at i s false Sh e h as ,

Sp oken it all Everything i s h er fault e very

.
,

thi ng i s her merit .

 I NDE X

Ab s n e t t he , 4 7 r—ld Ar t and t he Wo 4 85 6
Ar i s
-

Ab s l
. .
, ,

o ut e t he 238 t t , t h e , 4 95 8
Ab s ac i ns d s r y d Ar is i c c r i ici sm
. .
, ,

tr t o how e t o e t t t 116
A ss m b l i s
.
, , ,

28 1
Ab s r d i i s A ai nabl
e e , .

u t e 229 , 5 75 tt e t he 48
A a i nm n s
.
, .
, ,

Acq ua i n t ané 4 32 tt t 584 , 58 7

h —
e s, ne w e

Aq r m ns r
. .
, ,

ui e A i y t 34 4 ut t 5 34 7
Ac ng n A h rs h i p
c e o

nsl
.
, .
,

ti l i ke f , 298 ut 4 18
A c i vi y
u o e e . o ,
.

t t 34 2 , 368 , 37 2 , 40 1
sa ying allad s
.
,

E sc h y l us , of 121 B 4 77 8
a y
-
. .
, ,

A ge 39 1 2 Be ut 1 36 , 2 3 481
an d Y h ib l
. .
, , ,

Age o ut 3 7 , 233 4 237 , B e t he 4 57 9 -

s
-
.
, , , ,

295 , 3 2 1 , 3 7 4 Boo k 4 17 , 4 20 , 4 3 2 , 4 56
Ag s l i
. .
,

of f e , 3 90
d is g n a and c
e

A gr m n
.

t and a re e m e t, C us e ff e t , 3 94
n r y and nd ivi d
ee e e .

Ce tu t he t he i
Ai s
, ,

27 8 , 34 2 500 u al , 58 1
Al r s h arac r
m , . .

t ui m 16 7 , 2 14 , 5 83 C te 36 7
Anal gi s h arac r i s ic s
. .
, ,

o e 4 6 , 5 23 C te t 7 29 , 7 4 , 9 1 ,
A nal ys is
.
, ,

5 68 110 , 17 9 , 29 1 , 297 , 311 , 34 4

A c i n l ra r hil d r n
. .
,

n t ite tu 447 C 24 5 7
Anci n h ri s
e e , . e ,
-
.

—
t s , t he 4 4 3 , 4 4 5 , 5 70 C t 3 14
A n h r p m r ph i s lass ici s
e , .
, .

t o o o m 165 C m 4 62 3
An i q i i s l v r lly
.
, , .

t u t e 3 25 C fo 175
A n i q ui y an d p s r y
e e

mm n s ns
.
, , .

t t 7 te it 190 Co 4 9 , 21
Ar ch i c r a p chl ss m pl i c i ns
o , . o -
e e , .

te t u e S ee e m u Co at o 45
n ss i n rr r
.
, ,

Si c , 4 93 Co fe o of e o 5 29
Aris l
. .
,

t ot e 55 9 C o n fi d e nc e s , 1 4 2
nsci n c
. .
,

— nsc i n c and i n ll c 0
Ar t 4 92 , 4 94 4 99 , 508 Co e e 125
and a
.
, , , .

Ar t N t ur e , 4 8 2 3 , 4 90 1 , Co te t , 53
n mp rar i s
-
e e e .

5 09 , 5 12 . Co te o e , 3 8 6 , 4 54 .

2 17
2 18 INDEX
Co t n radi c i ns rr r and h al r h
t o 87 , 102 , 223 , E o f t -
ut 5 9 , 6 1 , 72 ,
—
, ,

288 9 , 37 8 , 38 2
nv r s r rs
.

Co t 17 0 E of the 5 21
i i ci sm xc ll n c n a h mabl
e , . ro age , .

Cr t 1 4 6 , 1 8 2 304 , 4 56 E f t 4 06
r i i q c mm n s ns
e e e u o e

i s nc vi l
.
, , .
,

C t ue of 3 93 Ex te e of e 5 72 3
xp ri nc
o o e e
-

r i i qu s ns s
- .
, . ,

C t e of t he 5 14 E 4 3 , 55 6
ryp gamy—
e e , . e e e ,
.

C to 5 74
l r ac s an d h r s
.
,

Cu tu 3 28 9 , 4 12 F t t ie 55 7
ac s and h u gh s
e , . eo , .

F t t t 1 88
—
o

ang r u s ac s n l y s a d
.
,

D 2 75 6 F t t te 5 26
b r an d c r d i r — Fa i h
e o m e n, . ew , .

De t o to 28 2 3 t 1 17
cpin
e

als n i s
, .
, .

De t 320 4 00 F o t on 5 , 200
cs als nd nci s
e o , , . e , .

De f e t 39 F te 64
sp i sm a d v an ag s
e e e

a i l i ar i y
.
, , .

De ot t of , 209 F t 262
i al c i c ash i n
, e . m , .

D t 37 9 F 3 92
i c lis as i d i sn—ss
e , . o , .

D ffi u t e 27 7 8 , 330 , 3 98 F t 260
—
ou e

i l an i
-

a ul s
. .
, ,

D tt t 15 9 F t 296 7 , 299 304 5

i s c v ry
e

av r
.
, .
, ,

D 397 , 55 3 F 83
i sp s i i ns l and nl i
o e ou

ar
. .
, ,

D o t o ik e u ke Fe 27 5
i g ra iv say ngs
.
, ,

F t i
i s i n c i ns a l a and a bi rd
u e

D t t o 166 f 35 9
an man arm i ng hi s
e

gg r l
. .
, ,

Do e e 5 06 ol d w m e lf ,

i ng g d
.
,

Do 98
A l b r ch
oo
— b l i ng
.
,

D ii r e r u t 502 3 t he fl t e 16
u i s an d r i gh s b n i ng n s c a
, e , . ow , .

D t 15 0 362
’
t ut t o t
c r d s an d c r a
e , . o e o , .

D ut y 3 , 38 , 4 02 u e m 58
di r an d s u n
. .
, ,

t t he 99
cl c ic sm d s an d s rm
.
,

E t i 4 36 7 t t he to 66
d ca i n
e -
u

r gs and a r
. .
, ,

E t 444 f te 71
d c a i n v rp r ss h r s and v al s
u o , . o w , .

E t o in t 27 2
dsr
u o e e ur e e oe e

i nd s
.
, , ,

3 71 H of t he t 106
i gh n h c n r y h ng nai l
. oo e e , .

E tee t tu 56 8 itt i t he 78
h ry lam ps an d l i gh b av
e , . , .

E m bo i t e m e nt , t of , 550 t he t of
mp i r i cal m ral i y
eo . e

E o t 14 0 e n, 36 1
bs l i i ng s n
. .
,

E nc y C IO p se d i a , t h e e t , 16 1 ft t he to e 208
n mi s an ind and
.
.
,

E e e 58 2 m k t he R e d S e a,
n m i s m ri s
.
,
'
E t 38 7 , 583 187
n h u s i asm
e e e

nam s
. .
,

E t 211 , 4 7 1 e f or t h e se a , 95
r sm s sayi ng sn
. .
,

E a u , of , 63 . ow , 92 .
220 INDEX
I ns i ght 3 70 L v f t r t h 28
I nt ll i g n c 322
o e o u

L vi ng n s l i k
. .
, ,

180
’

L c i d i t y 4 13
e e e o o e e

Int nt i n 334
. .
, ,

In t r st i n p ub l i c v nt s 33 1 Lyr i c s 4 2 1
e o , . u , .

I nt r s p c t i n 7 5
e e e e , . , .

I n v st i ga t r t h t r 5 4 3— aj ri i s —
o e o , .

4 M o t e 54 4 6 566
I rr g lar c i r c mst an s 14 3 a i gnanc sch lars
e o , e ue , .
, , .

M l e of 1 35
and h i s rgans
e u u ce o

I s lat i n f t h g d 224
. .
, ,

o o o e oo Ma n o 34 7
I t al i an t 505 a rs
. .
, ,

ar M st e 94 3 10
s r
. .
, , ,

y Ma t e
dg n —
20 4
a r c n n s and
, .

! t , 85 6 M tte te t f or m 1 83
s ic and ax i ms an d an cd s
u m e .
, o , .

! u t l aw 54 M ot e 156
anc i n s
e e

a i ms
. .
, ,

M x of t he t 4 38
K pl r sayi ng
e ,

of , 354 42
Kn l d g — M ans an d
e e , . .

2 35 , 324 37 0 5 25 6 e nd , 11
M di cri y
ow e e , , . e .

5 38 e o t 22 1 , 27 3
Kn l d g an d d b M m i rs
. .
,

ou t 17 8 14 9
i d as
ow e e e o

K n l d g an d M m ry
. .
, ,

82 15 7
Kn l d g b ran ch and m n
ow e e ne w e , . e o , .

M es of 5 39 226 , 295
Kn l dg an h r M aphysi cs
ow e e , , . en w o e , .

e of ot 67 t 55 1
mpsych si s b s
ow e o ne e , e , .

7 0 , 25 1 3 M te t he t , 585
Kn l d g c n mp M h d in
e o e

n l dg
-
. , .

ow e e , t he o te t f or , e t o ar t a nd k ow e e ,

1 13 1 12
Mi sch i
. .

f 160
Lang ag an d h gh
e

Mi s r n s
.
,

u e t ou t , 3 17 , 4 0 7 fo t u e 227
Lang ag n l dg Mi s a s
. .
,

u es, k ow e e of 4 14 t ke 1 3 4 0 , 15 3 , 16 2 , 210 ,
La s —
, .
, ,

32 1 218 2 85 6 , 5 24 , 5 6 1
M i s u n d rs an d i ng
w

La s s dy
.
, .
,

tu of 168 t 122
a i nd p bl i c
w e

L ss i ng say ng M m n
, , . , .

e i of 52 o e t t he k of u

L ss ns
, , .
, , ,

13 9 36 9
Lib ral i d a and p r ss
e o . .

M h 174 , 3 75 ar ch s t he 37 5
M ds
e e s, o e

Lib ra i y r s
. .
,

e l t t he t ue t 385 oo 100
M ral i y
. .
, , ,

Li f e , t he ar t of , 10 1 , 1 92, 28 2 o t ,
3 19 .

M iv ot e 10
Li m i a i ns s
, .

t t M 5 78 ot t oe 207
— M u s ic
o

Li ra r a ragm n
. .
, ,

te tu e f t 4 04 5 4 88
Li ra r c rr u p M y s r i s an d m i ra cl s
e
—
. .
, ,

te tu t , 4 65 7 te 16 9
M y s i c i sm
e o e e

Li ra u r
.
, . ,

te t e , ne w , 4 09 . t , 4 30 .

LO ve ,
1 95 , 2 7 0 .
 INDEX 22 1

Na p l n o eo — P h n na 24 0 1 pp r a ch om e h ow t o a o

a i n l char c r
, . e , ,

N t t 73 , 37 4 ,
Ph i l s ph y and ag s l i
o a a e ,

o o t he e of fe .
a r
N tu
—
5 7 2 , 5 90
a r and
e , .

N tu P y ar t 4 8 2 3 , 4 90 1 iet 35 6
Pla i n s p a i ng
- -
e , , .

509 , 5 12 k 17 2
a r and c l r Plans an d d s i gns
. e , .

N tu u tu e 284 , 4 7 7 12
a r p
e e

P ic al al n
.
, .
,

N tu t s , 4 19 t t t 44 9
Na r s d y
e- oe oe e

P ry
.
.
,

tu e tu of , 56 1 t 1 76
sp ap rs app al
oe

P s ri y
.
, . ,

N 23 , 3 7 5 , 4 6 1 te t t he t o , 4 08
P r c nvic i n
ew e ,
. o , e .

of t 84
P rac i c al an d h i n rs
ow e o o

b s ran i sm
.
,

O cu t 88 t m en t ke
sc r i y i n an a h r
, .
,

Ob u t ut 4 31 3 95
bs rv a i n and ncl s i n P rai si ng a man
o , . .

O e t o co u o 323
Pray r
.
, ,

5 17 , 55 9 3 15
b s inac y
e

P r d s i na i n
.
.
,

O t 5 79 t t o 35 5
p in i ns P r j d ic s
, . e e , .

O 10 7 55 2 u 2 15
pp n n s P r i m v al p rs
o , . e e , .

O t 38 1 2 236
pp i i n c i nc
o e e ow e

Pr bl s
-
. .
, ,

O t o 88 of 5 15 , 55 1
— P r bl a i c al na r s
os o em e e

ri gi nal i y
.
, .
,

O t 1 , 134 , 4 09 1 1, 536 7 t tu e 97
P r b l ma i c al p i n i ns
-
o e m

ri gi ns
.
, ,

O 5 50 t 30
Pr b l ma ic a l al n s
, . o e o o , .

O vid 463 o e t t e t 17 1
P r b l ms
. .
, ,

o e 5 27
P ar i s P r d c iv n r y
.
,

t e 5 16 o u t e e e g 164
P as i ns — Pr duc ivi y
. .
, ,

300 3 t t 4 15
P r gr s and p r bl s
s o o

P as
. .
, ,

t t h e , 138 398
Pa i nc
o es o em

P r gr ss c n ic s
. .
, ,

t 35 7 fl t of , 2 19
P a ri i sm i n and sci n c Pr gr ss sci n c
e e , . o e , o .

t ot ar t of 56 7
P r p d u ic s
e e ,
o e e e , .

o ae e t 2 12 , 5 1 1
P a r ns P r s an s
, .

t o 1 33 ot e t t 205
P ayi ng n s h an i y P r u d n n r y
. .
, ,
’
f or t 173 t g , 16
P syc h l y
o e um e e e

P ac
.
,

53 43 3

P d an ry P bl i c
e e , . o og , .

e t , 1 3 2 , 5 35 , 55 5 . u , t h e , 96 , 36 9 , 389 , 4 16 ,
P e r e ant q u i an t e n os n os t r a 54 1 .

d i m e r u n t ! 33 3
P rf ct i n 34 3 5 78 580 s i ns
.

e e o Q ue t o 53 2
P r v ran c 1 93 5 3 7
, , . .
, ,

P r v rs i t i s f t h d ay 24 4
e se e e

as n
.
, ,

e e e o e Re o 4
P ssi m i sm 13 1 184 r ain
, .
, .

e , , . Re f o m t o , t he , 3 1 3 , 3 16 .
2 22 INDEX
Re l i gi n ci y 3 12 So et 250
S c i y s ldi rs civili ans
o

l igi s c n r v s y
, .
, .

in —
Re ou o t o er 460 o e t o e and
nai s anc , .
,

Re s t he 3 13 25 8 9
ci y b s
e

v l u i n sayi ng
.
, , , .

Re o t o on t he 37 3 So et t he e t 230 , 28 9
v l i nary s n i n s
.
, , , , .

Re o ut o t m e t 2 16 So po ri fi cs , 7 6
hy hm S i ng and r api ng
e , . .

R t 13 1 27 9
i dd l s S p c acl s
, . ow e , .

R 62 t 26 1
i d ic l s S p ch
e e e

—
. .
, ,

R t he 29 1 4 38 2
igh d i ng h a i s
u ou

S p ch an d lang ag , , . e e , .

R t t 77 1 23
nc S p c h and r i ing
o w ee u e

c s
. .
, , ,

Ro k o f o ff e 306 t 37 7
land M ad am S p ch s
e , . ee w , .

Ro 4 03 28 7
pi n i sm i n p ry
e e e e

manc s
. .
, , ,

Ro 4 22 S t 4 27
an ic land sc ap S ady ac ivi y
e , . oz oe , .

R om t e 4 80 te t t 154
man ici sm S rn
. .
, ,

Ro t 4 6 2 , 4 64 te e 4 76
ub rdi na i n
. .
, ,

S t o 19 1
S cc ss i n r ld
o , .

S a kon t a la , 4 7 2 t he w 6 , 19 , 368
S p ri r i y an h r
u e o

Sa i s ac i n —
.
, .

t f t 586 t of ot 27 0
S u p rs i i n
u

S c p i ci sm
o , . e o e , .

S ch i ll r G h and — S ym b l i sm
e t , 34 0 1 . e t t o ,
3 1 , 4 24 .

t 4 34 5 20 2
S ch lar r al
e , oe e , . o , .

t he 309
ac —
o e

M ar i n
.
, ,

S c h ii n , t 5 04 T t , 26 7
S ch ls h gh a l
. .
,

of t t 56 9 T tt 14 8
S ci nc — c rs
oo ou e

a ing
. .
, ,

it s 5 18 , 54 0 1 T t t oo 79
ac hi ng
e e : ou e -

—
.
, ,

5 4 5 6 , 56 7 , 5 7 0 1 , 58 9 Te 5 1 9 , 56 2 3
S ci n c p r b m har c
-
. .
,

its le 5 15 T t ff e t of t he 197
h ry
e e : o e e e

Scs
.
, .
, ,

t 5 22 T 44 5 20 , 5 5 7
S l appr ci a i n h ry and xp r i nc
e , . eo , , .

f t o 20 , 56 , 1 11 T 198
h i ngs an h r rld
e -
e , eo e e e e , .

24 9 , 3 66 T of

S l g id an c — —
. ot e w o ,

f 2 1 2 , 24 5 , 33 24 2 3
S l n l—dg hin r
e -
u e , .
-
.

f k 2 T ke 4 16
h i n i ng n s l
e ow e e s,

S ns s
-
. .
,

34 5 6 T k f or f 8
S ns s a s nd n ci s h r gh n s
e e , . o e e , .

f l te of 4 87 T 41
S n i m n al p ry h gh
e e , e e e , o ou es , .

t t oe t 4 23 T t 1 , 396 , 4 12 , 533 , 563

h u gh s
e e ou

n i m n al i y na i nal cl s
. .
, ,

Se t e t i t t o 4 29 T o t at t he o e of l fe ,
S r vic
.
, ,

1 96 4 03
S h a sp ar
e

i m n sayi ng
e , . .

ke 4 73 5 T o of 127
l ra i n
e e

S il n c
-
. .
, , ,

32 To t 35 6
an d i m par i al i y rad i i n
e e , . e o ,
.

S i zi c e r i t y t t 15 1 T t 392 , 5 6 3
h
o

rag i s
.
, ,

S ke t c s , 5 10 . T ed e , 4 70 .
 MACMl LLANS ’

Ne w Mini at ure S e ri e s
C lot h e 0 ne t e ach

EAC H VO L UM E I N A HA ND SO M E BO X

T h is s r i s c nsi st s f t h i rt y
e e b ks ach f
o o -
o ne oo , e o

w h ich h as pr v d by c n t i n d d man d f i t t h av
o e o ue e or o e

s m sp ci al app al t a id cir cl f r ad rs
o e e e o w e e o e e .

Ea ch v l u m c n t a i ns s i x ill s t rat i ns an d i s b
o e o nd u o , ou

i n li ght bl cl t h i t h an at t ract i v c v r d si gn
ue o , w e o e e

it h gilt t ps Th b ks f a t t h r ghly i
,

w o . e oo ar e o se o ou n

k p i n g i t h t h s t t l d c h ar
e e w f h ic h a c h v l m
e e e m o w e o u e

h as d ply i m p r ss d t h b kl v rs f t h last f
e e e e e oo o e o e ew

ye a rs .

T HE M A CM I L L A N C O M PA N Y
64 -
6 6 Fi f t h Av e nue , Ne w Yo r k
 T HE G R EAT C O M P ANIO N
LYM AN ABB O TT By
I t h firs t ch a pt r f t hi s c m p an i n v l u m t
Th O t h r R m D Abb t t says It i s b caus
n e e o o o o e o
! ”

I b li v t h at G d i s t h G r at C mp ani n t h at
e e oo , r. o : e e

t l ft rph ans t hat may hav c mrad sh ip

e e e o e e o o , w e

i t h H i t h at I h a v r i t t n t h s p a g s N t t
ar e n o e o ,
w e e o e

d m nst rat y t r t h b t t giv x pr ssi n t a

w m , e w e e e e . o o

livi ng i nspiri ng d m i nat i ng fait h

e o e an u , u o e e e o o
”

A s T h O t h r R m mak s i t app al sp ci ally

, , o .

t th s sh a d d b y b r a v m n t p
e e oo e s e e e
h
i m s r a i s b
o o e w o are ow e e e e e or er

l d h h y f d h h k
carr i s h lp an d n c rag m nt f t h s h
p e xe t t t w
y t t e e o e , so oo

li vi ng i n t h mi dst f lif an d fin d i t t a myst ry

e e e ou e e or o e w o ar e

I t i s t h p r d ct f D Abb t t s ri p st t h ght d
e o e , , oo, e .

d als i t h a t h m t h t h as l n g b n hi st dy It
e o u o r. o e ou , an

i s a it n ss t t h i man nc f G d i n nat r an d
e w e e a o ee s u .

li f an d t h d a ily a l ks f
w e o e m e e o o u e
e e w o m e n.

T H E O TH E R RO O M
By LYM AN AB BOTT
s h ich h av h i r p rp s ch r h
Bo o k fo r t t
i h a su ran c i mm r ali an d
to
h ar
w e e u o e ee e

t of m t he of

gi v di gn i li by li n ing i h
e an w t s e o t ty
t y t o t he fe of k it
li f rnal h av a p r nn ial i m li n ss i gh
to e m an w t
The
ch ap rs hi s li l b s di s i n r sur
e e te , e e e t e e . e t
of o o k ar e t he
r c i n hris r su rr c i n
te t tt tu
an d
e e e

of C t , t he of t he
li f v rlas i g h p r f n dl h ugh f l
e t o e e t o m an ,

T
v n m r p r n d ly s p i r i a l
e e e t n . e y ar e o ou
y t o t u ;
”
e e o e ofo u tu .

'

C/zr zst za n E va nge l i st

'

Ab h i ch ill pr v f ll c mf r
.

o ok w h of

l s d ar fri n ds
t to t
h m rn
w o e u o o o se
”
w o ou t he os of e e .

Om a ha W ar id H e r a ld -
.

T HE M A CM I L L AN C O M PA N Y
64- 6 6 Fi f t h Av N Y k e nue e w or

ii
,
 Th e Flo w e r of

En g la n d
’
s Fa ce
S ke w / w: f
o E ngli sk Tr a ve !

By JUL IA c . R . DO RR
C O NT ENT S
C HAP TE R I —A Wi n W al s k
HAPTER II anb u r C a s and h I sl W igh
. e e e .

C k B t e of t
C H A PT ER III n ras s
.
y e e .

A D ay o f C o t t
C H APT ER I V In Fr s f Ard n
. .

t he o e t o

HAPTER V ac c I nn
. e .

C At t h e P e o k

HAPTER V I Ha rh
. .

C At w o t

C H A PT ER V II Fr m r d r I nv rn ss
. .

t h e Bo
— a d r a l an d ull d n
to
C H A ER V
o . e e e .

l II To C w o C st e C
M r
PT . o e

TER — n ch an d
oo .

C HAP IX . An E te Da y .

A C at he dr a l P ilgr i m age
B y JUL I A c R DO R R . .

T many m i n d s b t h p r f u n d d cu l t r d t
any nat ur s t h at b t h s nsi t iv an d pp i
o o o o an u e , o

t iv Engli s h c a t h d ra l s mak sp c ial app al

m e ar e o e e a re c a

th
It i s larg ly a mat t r f t m p ram n t Th r
e , e e e no e e .

t h rs t h m th y h v m ch t say t h at it is
e e o e e e . e e ar e

v rp ri ng F t h m v ry s t n h as a v i c
o e o w o e a e so u o

v ry a i sl a m ssag T h gr at s mb r t rs
o e ow e . or e e e o e o e ,

b ri ng t h m st r ngt h an d h aling t h s ari ng spir s

e e e e e . e e , o e ow e

li ft t h m ab v art h d i t arin ss i nt an t
e e e e o e

r a ll i s s a
e o e e an s w e e o a
m os
p h he re w p c e e e .
”

Fr om Me A uth or ’
s P f
r e a ce .

T HE M A C M I L L AN C O M PA N Y
6 4—
6 6 Fi f t h Av N Y k e nu e e w or

iv
,
Th e C h o i c e o f Bo o ks
B y F RE DER I C HAR R I S O N
A h r ut M an i ng
o H i s ry
of Th e e of to ,
!
e tc .
, e tc.

M H arri n i s an a bl an d c ns ci n i s c ri ic
a g d l gi cian an d a c l v r h i s fa u l s
r. so e o e t ou t ,

s p rfi ci al an d h is b k ill fai l b val u abl

oo o , e e m an ; t ar e
”
u e , oo w no t to e e.

M H arri s n fu rn i sh s a v a l abl c n r ib i n
s bj c I i s f ll f su gg s iv n ss an d
r . o e u e o t ut o
h
sh r d analy i cal cri i ci sm I c n ai ns h fr i s f
to t e u e t . t u o e t e e

i d r adi ng an d ric h r s ar c h L
e w t t . t o t t e u t o
” ’
w e e Ti e e .
-
o n ao n m e s.

HA P P INES S
E s s ay s on th e M e a ni n g of L if e

A I
By C RL H L T Y
U niv r i y rn
e s t o f Be

Translat e d b y FR ANCI S G R EENW O O D P E BO DY A

mm r Pr ss r h ri s ian M rals
Pl u e o fe o of C t o

arvard n iv rsi y
,

H U e t

Th ea h r a s h is app al d is c s i n ke
li f h a hi c h d ra s r ad rs
ut o m e no t to us o ,

b ut t o t o t he
rn pr f ss r i s h i s c apac i y mai n ai n i n
e t t w w e e

Be t he
mi d s i mp r an d i s p blic s vi c an d
o e o t to t
of of

sc i n i fic a c i vi an n u s al d ac h n d sir
t o t t ut e u e r e
of

an d an i n r i r i n ss i nd
e t t ty u u e t m e t e e
”
te o
q u e t e of m .

T HE M A CM I L L A N C O M PA N Y
64 -
6 6 Fif t h Av N Y k e nu e ,
e w or
 T HE P LEAS URES O F LIFE
By t h e R i gh t Hon sa ! O HN L UBBOCK
rd Av bu ry)
.

(L o e

A u t h o r of Th e U se of i
L fe , !
T h e Be i
au t e s of N at u re ,
”

e tc .
,
e t c.

C O N TE N TS
PA RT I
C H A PTE R I — D u y f H app i n ss C H A P T ER
II T h H appin ss f D u y C H A PT ER III —A
Th . e t o e .

SC HngA fERB Vks—TChHABPTl ERs ingI V f TFhri nCdh ic C Hf ABPTkERs

o o
e
oo .
e o t .

e o e o
.

oo .

V I —T h Val u f T im C H A P T ER V IL —
RT . e e s o e s .

Pl as u r s f T rav l C H A PT ER VI II Th Pl as u r s
. e e Th o e . e

f H m C H A PT ER IX — S ci n c C H A PT ER X
e e o e . . e e e

Ed uc t i n
o o e . . e e . .

PA RT II
a o .

C H A P T ER I — Am bi t i n C H A PTE R II — W alt h
C H A P T ER III —H al h C H A P T ER
o e
I V L v
. . . .

C H A PT ER V —A t C H P T ER V L — P t ry C H A P
. e t . . o e .

TER V IL —M u sic C H A PT — ER V III —T h B aut i s

. r . A oe .

f Na ur C H A PT E R IX T r ub l s
e e e
f Li f
. .

C H A PT ER X — L a b u r an d R C H A PT ER X I
o t e Th . . e o e o e .

R l ig i n C H A PT ER X II H p f Pr gr s
. o e st . .

T E R — T h D s i ny f M
Ih
'

e o -
e o e o o e s.
III
. .

C HA P X . e e t o an .

P AR ABLES LIFE OF
HAM I N W I H MA I
By L TO R G T B E
Au t h or of i ll S
Ba ckg ro u n d s o f L t e ra t u re ,
P oe t , D ra m a t i s t , a nd M a n , ”
”
W i iam h ake

H nry van y says P ic i n c nc p i n

s pe a r e e tc .

vivi d an d ru in im g ry lic ly cl ar an d b au i u l
Dr . e D ke : oe t o e t o ,

in l i l p i c s b l ng M M abi s
t e a e ,
de at e e e t f

ancalmd s dr ngupli d rand nlarg

d i ct io n , t h e
r add h m is l n s h r fine s t
’
se tt e e e e o to r. e
t o fe e
’
t o e st w o k . To e t e o e ea t
e ,
ft e ,
e e .

T HE M A CM I L L A N C O M PA N Y
64- 6 6 Fi f t h Av u N Y k e n e e w or

vi
,
 The P s a lm s and La m e nt at i ons
E D I T E D W I T H AN IN T R O D U T I N AN D N O TE BY
, C O S,

R I C HAR D G M O UL TO N M A P h D (P )
Edi r f T h M d rn R a d r s Bibl
.
, . . . . a .

’
to o t e o e e e e ,
e c.

ff ct f t h s c hang s b a ck t r iginal
f rms n d r h ich t h sac r d rit ings f i r t app ar d
Th e e e h o e e e o t e o

i ll b f t h vas t maj ri y f r ad rs a s u rp ri an d
o u e w e e w s e e

ds ilrigi hutal anhd yint illll cf uall asr iasf tuhr ys hanadd c hmy Wuipll n
w
e
e , or
t e
e
w ee
o t o
e
e e ,

o e
se
o ne w

ci f h fir t i m h m uch h Bibl h su ff r d
p t e e
pp t t e e , t e a re

f r m h h an d s f h s h a v r at d i t i h t
at e or t e st e ow t e e as e e

rc fncr nanc d p issiblil rrarsyul qsu fliPyr f Isn vir M lf t hn s uingd ifir
e
o
e e
t e
e
h
to ts
o
te
t o e
a
w

t
o

.
e t e
ew
e
o e
w
s
t
n
ou

amkisngimip irst an t spiri umalucanh d li prar r n uvn cn si f h ifm hs

’
a e o e e t o o e so ou to e
t , t no too to o o e t o ne o t e

I i s p art f h r na i an c f B i blical s u dy
t t t te t t e t
o o
y e e o e .

ma y m an an d in j u dgm n i d s m n h
t o t e b e it ss e o t ut

rannd p al rf af fhr shupanr dm d ppiriimualpr s ii n ff thh b rlaud y

e ew
ow e
e
o
,

o t
e

e s
o ur

e e s
e e
t
e t
e
w ri t n
t
s o
oe

o
o t
e a
e
e w o
e
,
t
t
.
e

T/ze O ut l oo N e w Yor k .

THE MAK ERS O F FLO RENCE

By M OLIP HANT
A t h r f T h M ak rs f M d rn R m Th
rs .

M k rs f V n ic
u o
o e e o o e o e ,
e
!
t t a e o e e e c e c.

VOLUM E I Da t Th C at h d ral B il d rs
.
, ,

n e e e u e

VO UM E II S av nar l a —T h P iagn n i P ai nt rs
. .

L -
o o e o e

T h st u d i f ch r c r if lik an d f ir an d t h
. .

narra t iv p rt i s e l
f u ll f p ic u r sq u uch
es o a a te are e e a , e

k i s b au i f u lly i ll u t ra d i h d dcu s f r
e o on are o t e e to e s

Th b
.

d ra i ngs f Fl r n i n b il d i ngs s at u p i i gs
e oo e t s te W t w oo t a te
”
w o o e t e u ,
t e s, an a nt n .

T/ze A t /ze n w u m .

T HE M A C M I L LA N C O M PAN Y
64—
6 6 F i f t h Av N Y k e nu e e w or

v iii
,
 The G o ld e n T r e asury
Se le c t e d f ro m t he b e st so ngs and lyr i ca l
p oe ms in t he Eng lish language an d

a rranged w ihn t ot e s

BY

A FR NCIS T ALGR AVE

P
La P r f ss r ry i n h Uni v rsi y xf r d
.

te o e o of P oe t t e e t of O o

R e v ise d an d En lar ge d
h i s li t t l c ll ct i n d i ff rs i t i s b li v d fr
T
t h rs i n t h at t m pt mad t i n cl d i n it all t h
e o e o e , e e e , om

b st rigi nal lyri cal pi c s and s ngs i n l ang ag

o e e e e o u e e

sa a r r r ll m i a n
e o e e o o ur u e

( v v f g fu y d cc f
l n gt h ) b y rit rs t livi ng an d n n b sid s t h
e y e t ew tet e t o e on ou o

bs
e w e no , o e e e e
”
e t .

The G o ld e n T r e asury
SEC O ND SER IE S
S e le c t e d fro m t he
'

b e st so n gs a nd lyric al
po e ms in t he En g lish l an u
g g
a e and

arrange d w ih t no t e s
BY

A I
FR NC S T P ALG R AVE
a r f ss r r i n Univ rsi y xf r d
.

L te P o e o of P oe t y the e t of O o

R e v i se d an d En lar ge d

T HE M A CM I L L A N C O M PA N Y
6 4- 6 6 Fi f t h A N Y k v e nu e e w or

ix
.
,
 A T r i p t o En g la n d
By GO L DW N S M T H I I
hr A ut ni d Kingd m
o of ni d
T he U te o
!
Th e U te
S
,
!
t at e s , e tc .

A d ligh ful li l e r lli ng i n a s charm

t tt e w o k, t e m o t
ingly rambling s s ma ic h a is s n
y e t y t e t w ay w t t o be e e

o f i r s i n ngland
nt e e t / E .
”
C zi cago T i m es .

!
b ma s an n r ai ni ng an d s f l
Th e o ok ke e te t u e u

c mp an i n
o rav ll rs i n ngl and
o for t e e E .
”

B ost on H e r a l d .

O xf o r d and he r Co lle ge s
i
A V e w f rom t he Radcl ff e L br ary i i
I By G O L DW N S M T H I
Th rit r h as s ld m nj y d h ims lf m r
e w e e o e o e e o e

t h an i n s h i n g an A m ri can fri n d v r O xf rd
ow e e o e o

f l t s m t hi n g f t h sam nj ym n t i n
.

H h e as e o e o e e e o e

pr paring it h t h h p f i n t r st i n g s m A m ri
e w e O e o e e o e e

c an vi si t rs t hi s t l i n f t h h i st ry f t h U i
,

o ou e o e o o e n

v r i t y an d h c ll g s
,

—F
e s e r o e e .

t ke A ut izor
’
r om s P f
r e a ce .

T HE M A CM I L L A N C O M PA N Y
6 4—
6 6 Fi f t h Av N Y k e nu e ,
e w or

xi
Shado w s of t he .

St age
FIR S T S ER I E S

By W IL L IAM W N T ER I
T h r i s i n t h s ri t i n gs t h s m ch ar f
e e e e w e a e m o

s l ty e , p t ic gl am r an d flav r f p rs nali t y h ic h
oe ou , o o e o w

di s i t n g i sh s h at v r c m s t
u e w fr m M W i
e e o e o us o r. n

rs ’
an d h ic h ma k s t h m n i i

li ra r —N
te pe n, w q e e u ue n o ur

”
te tu e . ew Yor k H om e j ou r n a l .

Shado w s of t he St age
S E C O ND S E R IE S

By W IL L IAM W N TER I
i n r h as l ng b n n n as h f r
I

!
Mr W . te o ee k ow t e o e

m s A rican d rama ic cri ics as a ri r f v ry

o t of m e t t , w te o e

ch arm i n g v r an d as a mas r i n h ligh r v i ns

e se , te t e te e

of n gli s h p r s
E C H d o e .
”
lzi cago e r al .

T HE M A CM I L L A N C O M PA NY
6 4- 6 6 Fi f t h Av N Y k e nue e w or

xi v
,
Shado w s of t he St age
TH I R D S E R IE S

By W ILL IAM W N TER I

e
h e
as
He p is an d s u r j dgm n
n c an d man p rc p i nrldanand cd al cr mman
t h e fine e
l
d m indd vivi
t he ng
o
a d an d
e
e
t o
e u
u tu e
e t of o
of
e xp e r i
Ii tt ér a
,

x ibl langu ag qui h is m s l

t e ar of t he w o ,
o of

any hingnly r achcinguld irni m r d lighd rama

fle
t
e
ap o
e

ul ac rs
ic
te
it
ow n.
the w ay
O ne
of
u t oo k fa r
t
fo r
c ri t i

and ac ing a pMlay gW irn ar mpp ssramss dn ha qrualc ipy

c is m ;
t
o
.
m b o
r .
w
te
te
is
o e
o e
e
e
tf
of
]
t
of
t
to
t
i nva luab le t o
x ll n an d h s s larg h h oe te e e t fine l e e
-

iv c c i i y ic
,

h i s d rama i c ri i ngs h i r val

O

t
'
e
ve s
, s e nsm ve
e to

in dly n ial sympa h ic an d d lic a ly

rti icism
e
w
e
t
e ;
t e
t it
ue . C
e
t
w
so

e xp r ss d lfil n c i n
um i no us , k
e e fu um s s i ts
,

u t o
,

to t he
t et
t o
,

t .
!
e te

Shake spe are s England

’

By W I L L I AM W IN T ER

H rs s m h
e ing m r h an g idan c
A m rican rav ll r H i s a c nvin cing an d l q u n
o ffe o e t o e t u e to the

i n rp r r a u gu s m m ri s an d v n rab l san c
e t e e . e o e o e t

s
t i ti e
te
c un ry
t e of t he
e

o f t h e o ld t
t
!
e o e

S a t ur d ay R e vi e w
e e e

b i s d ligh ul r ad ing
o . .

The o ok e tf e .

M b
'
S cr i bne r ont lz

h u ias ic an d y c ri ical n s an d
s '

n nl
.

m n s nglish li and s c n ry
e
E t
t on
s
E
t
fe
ye t ke e
e e .
t
S cot s m
ot e
an .
com

T HE M A C M IL L A N C O M PA N Y
64—
6 6 Fi f t h Av u N Y k e n e e w or

xv
,
 A MIEL S ! O UR NA L
’

Th e ! ournal Int i m e Of He nr i Fred er -

i c A m iel

Tr a nsl a t e d, w i t/i an I n t r od uct i on a nd N ot e :

A t h r f Th H is t ry f D avid G ri v t t
‘

u o o e o o e e , e c. , e c.

A w alt h f t h ght an d a p r f xpr ssi n

hrickhs Cldl ma/fk t h f rt un f d n l ss abl
!
e o ou ow e o e e o
w w ou e e o e o a o ze e e

A rk f nd rf ul b a t y d p th an d charm
w o . ai r e i n ale .

W i ll s an d b s i d s c h f ss i n as S t A g us t i n s
w o o w o e e u , e , .

an d Pas cal s It i s a b k t c nv rs i h again

'
t e e u co n e o s . u e

and aga i n ; fit t st nd am ng t h ch ic st v l u m s t h at
'
. oo o o e e w t

w e e st m as fri nds f s uls Ch i t i R gi t

ee
o
e
a
o o ur
o
o .
e
!
o e
r s an
o e
e s er.

The Fri e nd s hip O f Nat ure

A N e w E ng la n d C/zr on i cl e o
f B i r ds a nd Fl ow er s

A I
By M BEL O S GO O D W R G HT
A h r irdc ra ar s mmy Ann an d
ut o of
!
hrB
He
ft ,
”

t
To
!
e t c., e tc
e the T ee

A ch arm i g ch r nicl is ab u n d i ng x c ll n
.
,

d s rip i ns and in r s ing c mm n

e c
.

t o
n o
te e t
e it
o
,

e
o
t .
in e e e t

m r a h rhs
Th e
as s an
rar d vividly d s c rib h a
insigh an d s s d ply an d
ut o s s ee e es w t she ee .

m s p r ci s h ings d p
B ut
o t
o e
e
, sh e
ou t he
e
ee .
t

B ost on D a i ly A d ve r t ise r
ee ee ,
the

T HE M A CM I L L A N C O M PA N Y
64 —
6 6 Fi f t h Av N Y k e nu e e w or

x vi
,
 RETURN TO t h e c irc uld i io n d e sk o f a ny

Unive rsit y o f C o lifo rnid Lib rd ry

o r to t he
NO RTHERN REG IO NAL LIBRARY F AC ILITY
Bld g 4 0 0 Ric h m o nd Fie ld St a t io n
.
,

r
Unive sit y o f C a lif o nia r
Ric h m o nd C A 9 4 8 0 4 4 6 9 8
,
-

A LL BO O KS MAY BE REC ALLED AFTER 7 DAYS

0
2 -
m o nt h lo a ns m a y b e r e ne w e d b y c a lling

5
( )10 6 4 2 6 7 53 -

l ye d r lo a ns m a y b e
-
r e c h a rg e d r
b y b ing ing
b o o ks t o NRLF
Re ne w a s d ndl r e c h a rg e s m ay be m ode 4
r r
d a ys p io t o d ue d a t e .

DUE AS STAMP ED BELO W

AUG 2 5 2001

SEP 2 5 2007