Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Quotes on Time
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German poet, dramatist, novelist, scientist, and the towering figure of German Classicism. This page collects quotes attributed to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe on the topic of time, drawn from across the philosopher's works.
Quotes
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Attributed to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe:
“He who moves not forward, goes backward.”
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“Tell me you stones, O speak, you towering palaces ! Streets, say a word! Spirit of this place, are you dumb? All things are alive in your sacred walls Eternal Rome, it's only for me all is still.”
Roman Elegies(1789) | Elegy 1 -
“What dazzles, for the Moment spends its spirit: What's genuine, shall Posterity inherit.”
Faust, Part 1(1808) | Prelude on the Stage -
“Everything that liberates our mind without at the same time imparting self-control is pernicious.”
Maxims and Reflections(1833) | Maxim 504, trans. Stopp Variant translation: Everything that emancipates the spirit without giving us control over ourselves is harmful. -
“The sum which two married people owe to one another defies calculation. It is an infinite debt, which can only be discharged through all eternity.”
Elective Affinities(1809) | Bk. I, Ch. 9 -
“Let us live in as small a circle as we will, we are either debtors or creditors before we have had time to look round.”
Elective Affinities(1809) | Bk. II, Ch. 4