Those who want to row on the ocean of human knowledge do not get far, and the storm drives those out of their course who set sail.

Boundless in your charity, but shrewd and cautious as a lender, you delight all those today whom you made beggars the day before.

It is the emotions to which one objects in Germany most of all.

The first indication of a young person's growing smarter is that he no longer understands the things which he used to consider quite intelligible and self-evident.

Profundity easily turns into dullness and astuteness deteriorates into wit. Be guided by natural common sense and it will accommodate great and small.

The way in which modern German poetry follows theories reminds me of pupils who, scolded by their teacher for their insubordination, justify themselves by saying that they invented new rules of propriety according to which they are quite well- behaved.

Nothing genuinely historical was ever lost in this country. For this reason we have two ruling parties: villains and fools.