If one doesn't know one's own country, one doesn't have standards for foreign countries.
Johann Wolfgang von GoetheThus one can observe that those who proclaim piety as their goal and purpose usually turn into hypocrites.
Johann Wolfgang von GoetheOnce you have missed the first buttonhole, you'll never manage to button up.
Johann Wolfgang von GoetheThe flowers of life are but visionary. How many pass away and leave no trace behind! How few yield any fruit,--and the fruit itself, how rarely does it ripen! And yet there are flowers enough; and is it not strange, my friend, that we should suffer the little that does really ripen to rot, decay, and perish unenjoyed?
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe