All the knowledge I possess everyone else can acquire, but my heart is all my own.
Johann Wolfgang Von GoetheRead
When intelligent and sensible people despise knowledge in their old age, it is only because they have asked too much of it and of themselves.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Disdain for knowledge in old age often stems from unrealistic expectations of oneself and one's learning.
This quote by Goethe suggests that intelligent and sensible individuals may develop a lack of appreciation for knowledge as they grow older due to having set high expectations for their own understanding and the pursuit of knowledge. It highlights the complexity of the learning process and the potential for disillusionment when one feels they have not achieved the depth of knowledge they desired, leading them to disregard it altogether.
Themes
KnowledgeWisdomIntelligenceAgingExpectations
In practice
Example use cases
Use this quote during a lecture on lifelong learning.
More from Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
All quotes βDestiny grants us our wishes, but in its own way, in order to give us something beyond our wishes.
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I am amazed to see how deliberately I have entangled myself step by step. To have seen my position so clearly, and yet to have acted so like a child!
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Know thyself? If I knew myself I would run away.
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