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About this quote

What does it mean?
If I work tirelessly, nature will grant me a new form of existence when my current one ends.
In plain terms
Hard work promises a rebirth after death.
What can you take from it?
Dedicate effort to leave a lasting legacy.

Where it applies

  • artistic creation
  • scientific research

Putting it to work

  • produce enduring work
  • invest in long-term projects

Questions to consider

  • What defines a lasting legacy?
  • Is effort enough without impact?

Another view

Nature does not guarantee reward; effort may be futile.

More from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

  1. One must be something in order to do something.

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  2. Ich die Baukunst eine erstarrte Musik nenne.

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  3. All poetry is supposed to be instructive but in an unnoticeable manner; it is supposed to make us aware of what it would be valuable to instruct ourselves in; …

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