16 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Quotes on Creativity

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe quotes on creativity

7. In der Kunst ist das Beste gut genug.

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

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

14. The true, prescriptive artist strives after artistic truth; the lawless artist, following blind instinct, after an appearance of naturalness. The one leads to the highest peaks of art, the other to its lowest depths.

33. Ich singe, wie der Vogel singt Der in den Zweigen wohnet.

51. All Nine often used to come to me, I mean the Muses: But I ignored them: my girl was in my arms. Now I've left my sweetheart: and they've left me, And I roll my eyes, seeking a knife or rope. But Heaven is full of gods: You came to aid me: Greetings, Boredom, mother of the Muse.

58. The fate of the architect is the strangest of all. How often he expends his whole soul, his whole heart and passion, to produce buildings into which he himself may never enter.

76. Alles Gescheite ist schon gedacht worden. Man muss nur versuchen, es noch einmal zu denken.

79. What wise or stupid thing can man conceive That was not thought of in ages long ago?

86. Individuality of expression is the beginning and end of all art.

92. All intelligent thoughts have already been thought; what is necessary is only to try to think them again.

118. In art the best is good enough.

133. The best genius is that which absorbs and assimilates everything without doing the least violence to its fundamental destiny - that which we call character - but rather improving it and enhancing it as far as possible.

136. The first and last thing required of genius is the love of truth.

151. When ideas fail, words come in very handy.

154. There is nothing more dreadful than imagination without taste.