What a father says to his children is not heard by the world, but it will be heard by posterity.

The German language is the organ among the languages.

As winter strips the leaves from around us, so that we may see the distant regions they formerly concealed, so old age takes away our enjoyments only to enlarge the prospect of the coming eternity.

There are souls which fall from heaven like flowers, but ere they bloom are crushed under the foul tread of some brutal hoof.

If self-knowledge is the road to virtue, so is virtue still more the road to self-knowledge.

The purer the golden vessel, the more readily is it bent; the higher worth of woman is sooner lost than that of man.

Only deeds give strength to life, only moderation gives it charm.