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About this quote

What does it mean?
The spirits I summoned I can no longer rid myself of.
In plain terms
I am haunted by the forces I once called upon.
What can you take from it?
Be cautious of the ideas or habits you invoke, as they may linger.

Where it applies

  • creative projects
  • personal habits
  • relationships

Putting it to work

  • evaluate long‑term impact before adopting
  • release harmful influences

Questions to consider

  • What 'spirits' have you invited into your life?
  • Can you change their effect?

Another view

Some influences can be transformed rather than simply discarded.

More from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

  1. 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

  2. One of the most striking signs of the decay of art is the intermixing of different genres.

    Permalink to quote #13

  3. Untersuchen was ist, und nicht was behagt

    Permalink to quote #10

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