Ah, how often I've cursed those foolish pages, That showed my youthful sufferings to everyone! If Werther had been my brother, and I'd killed him, His sad ghost could hardly have persecuted me more.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The author curses exposing his youthful pain, wishing he could erase the memory as if killing a brother would silence the ghost.
- In plain terms
- He regrets revealing his suffering.
- What can you take from it?
- Protect personal pain when sharing.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When is it safe to share personal pain?
- How can you balance honesty and privacy?
Another view
Suppressing memories can hinder healing.
More from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
I'm gazing at church and palace, ruin and column, Like a serious man making sensible use of a journey, But soon it will happen, and all will be one vast temple…
Permalink to quote #46 A world without love would be no world.
Permalink to quote #48 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 R…
Permalink to quote #45
Related quotes
Thinking we were safe-insanity! We went in to make love. All the same Idiots to trust the little hotel bedroom. Then in the gloom... ...And who does not know t…
Rosemary TonksRosemary Tonks quote #1 'Did I say that? One says so many things, and the problem is they all get written down.'
John AshberyJohn Ashbery quote #2 I've never looked through a keyhole without finding someone was looking back.
Judy GarlandJudy Garland quote #3