“All intelligent thoughts have already been thought; one must only try to think them again.”

Original: Alles Gescheite ist schon gedacht worden, man muß nur versuchen, es noch einmal zu denken. — Goethe turns originality into an act of renewed thinking rather than the invention of entirely new ideas. · Wilhelm Meister’s Journeyman Years, 1829 (German)

• Ideas
• Originality
• Thought

“A free heart cannot be broken by pillars or columns.”

Original: Pfeiler, Säulen kann man brechen, aber nicht ein freies Herz. — Inner freedom is presented as more resilient than structures that appear physically strong. · Maxims and Reflections (German)

• Freedom
• Heart
• Strength

“The greatest thing that can happen to a person is to discover what they are capable of doing.”

Original: Das Größte, was einem Menschen begegnen kann, ist, daß er erkennt, was er vermag. — Self-knowledge becomes empowering when it reveals genuine capacity rather than imagined potential. · Maxims and Reflections (German)

• Discovery
• Potential
• Self