Hello friends,
enjoy your German learning today. This time I would like to share few meaningful quotes of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, one of the most famous German philosopher and thinker of 18th – 19th centuries.
On the whole, as a poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre-director and critic, Goethe wrote a wide range of works, including plays, poetry, as well as treatises on botany, anatomy, and colour. His quotes are filled with meaning and even nowadays are widely quoted. With attention to his talent I would like to share some of them with you.
Worth to mention, it is a good opportunity for us to learn some useful words and expressions, which we can use for instance in a daily conversation, at German test be it speaking or writing. At this point let’s get started.
Mit dem Wissen wächst der Zweifel. – With knowledge comes doubt.
Wo viel Licht ist, ist auch viel Schatten. – Where there is much light, there is also much shadow.
Jeder Augenblick ist von unendlichem Wert. – Every moment is of infinite value.
Wer nicht neugierig ist, erfährt nichts. – Those who are not curious will never learn anything.
Lerne alt zu werden mit einem jungen Herzen. – Learn to grow old with a young heart.
Es irrt der Mensch, solang er strebt. – Man is mistaken as long as he strives.
Allwissend bin ich nicht, doch viel ist mir bewusst. – I am not all-knowing, but many things I am aware of.
Ich bin ein Teil von jener Kraft, Die stets das Böse will und stets das Gute schafft. – I am part of that power which eternally wills evil and eternally works good.
Leider lässt sich eine wahrhafte Dankbarkeit mit Worten nicht ausdrücken. – Unfortunately, true gratitude cannot be expressed in words.
Brief biography of Heinrich Böll, the famous German writer is available under:
Heinrich Böll Biography: Life and Works Explored
Die Botschaft hör ich wohl, allein mir fehlt der Glaube. – Hear the message, But I lack faith in it.
Wir hoffen immer, und in allen Dingen ist besser hoffen als verzweifeln. – In all things it’s better to hope than to despair”.
Wenn man alle Gesetze studieren sollte, so hätte man gar keine Zeit, sie zu übertreten. – If a man sets out to study all the laws, he will have no time left to transgress them.
Es gibt Bücher, durch die man alles erfährt und doch zuletzt von der Sache nichts begreift. – There are books from which you learn everything and yet, in the end, you still don’t understand a thing.
Auch aus Steinen, die einem in den Weg gelegt werden, kann man Schönes bauen. – Even from stones placed in your path, you can build something beautiful.
Nur der ist froh, der geben mag. – Only those who are willing to give are happy.
Weil du die Augen offen hast, glaubst du, du siehst. – Just because your eyes are open, you think you see
Vom Ziel haben viele Menschen einen Begriff, nur möchten sie es gerne schlendernd erreichen. – Many people have an idea of the destination, but they’d like to reach it at a leisurely pace.
Es ist nicht genug, zu wissen, man muss auch anwenden; es ist nicht genug, zu wollen, man muss auch tun. – It is not enough to know; one must also put it into practice; it is not enough to want to; one must also act.
How to combine travelling and German learning please find useful tip here:
Alternative method to learn German fast
Man kann nicht immer ein Held sein, aber man kann immer ein Mann sein. – You can’t always be a hero, but you can always be a man.
Die Zeiten der Vergangenheit sind uns ein Buch mit sieben Siegeln. – The times of the past are complete mystery to us.
Welche Regierung die beste sei? Diejenige, die uns lehrt, uns selbst zu regieren. – Which government is the best? The one that teaches us to govern ourselves.
I hope you find this article useful. To rephrase some of Goethe’s quote, my short advise to all of us: never give up, learn German and hope for better.
Take care, friends. Wir sehen uns bald wieder.
Interested to learn more? Please find various articles below:
Abgehen; angehen; aufgehen: Practical Examples Explained
German Story: A train rolls to San Francisco
Cherry-picking German text for memorizing interesting phrases.
