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About this quote

What does it mean?
Examine what is, not what pleases.
In plain terms
Study reality instead of personal preference.
What can you take from it?
Focus analysis on facts rather than desires.

Where it applies

  • research
  • decision making
  • philosophical inquiry

Putting it to work

  • use evidence‑based methods
  • question assumptions

Questions to consider

  • How often do you let preference guide you?
  • What methods keep you objective?

Another view

Pure objectivity can be impossible; personal bias often intrudes.

More from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

  1. A talent is formed in stillness, a character in the world's torrent.

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  2. We can't form our children on our own concepts; we must take them and love them as God gives them to us.

    Permalink to quote #11

  3. A noble person attracts noble people, and knows how to hold on to them.

    Permalink to quote #8

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