A book is quite a beautiful thing, even more so learning. Together, however, all they amount to is called book-learning.

A flutist who is moved to tears by his own performance will soon make the listeners laugh because of the sounds that he produces.

The art of acting presupposes three phases: understanding a part, intuiting a part, and contemplating the essence of a part.

If only it were God's will that printed and written materials have as much influence on the people as the princes and their censors fear! Considering the countless good books we have, the world would have changed for the better a long time ago.

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.

Just as the queen bee, the highest-ranking, peerless creature of her hive, is surrounded by lowly drones to please her, whereas the workers produce honey, the same way is the one who sits on the throne an equal only to himself, and no one's companion.

I know how ingratitude burns, how falsehood tortures, for I have been deceived in friendship and in love; I have learned to lose and to resign myself.