Paternity is based anyhow only upon conviction: I am convinced, therefore, I am the father.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe[W]hat counts is that one perceives excellence and dares to give it expression, which sounds little but is in fact a great deal.
Johann Wolfgang von GoetheThe affairs of the world are no more than so much trickery, and a man who toils for money or honour or whatever else in deference to the wishes of others, rather than because his own desire or needs lead him to do so, will always be a fool.
Johann Wolfgang von GoetheIf we examine every stage of our lives, we find that from our first breath to our last we are under the constraint of circumstances. And yet we still possess the greatest of all freedoms, the power of developing our innermost selves in harmony with the moral order of the universe, and so winning peace of heart whatever obstacles we meet.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe