We blame equally him who is too proud to put a proper value on his own merit and him who prizes too highly his spurious worth.
Johann Wolfgang von GoetheNo one would talk much in society if they knew how often they misunderstood others.
Johann Wolfgang von GoetheA genuine work of art usually displeases at first sight, as it suggests a deficiency in the spectator.
Johann Wolfgang von GoetheMen are so inclined to content themselves with what is commonest; the spirit and the senses so easily grow dead to the impressions of the beautiful and perfect, that every one should study, by all methods, to nourish in his mind the faculty of feeling these things. ...For this reason, one ought every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe