All the knowledge I possess everyone else can acquire, but my heart is all my own.
Johann Wolfgang Von GoetheRead
Let mental culture go on advancing, let the natural sciences progress in even greater extent and depth, and the human mind widen itself as much as it desires: beyond the elevation and moral culture of Christianity, as it shines forth in the Gospels, it will not go.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Goethe emphasizes the importance of moral culture and the limitations of scientific advancement without ethical development.
In this quote, Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe speaks to the relationship between mental and moral development, stating that although scientific advancement and intellectual growth are desirable, they must not overshadow the ethical teachings found in Christianity. He implies that true enlightenment encompasses moral elevation, and while knowledge may expand infinitely, it should always align with the moral truths of the Gospels, which serve as a guiding light for humanity.
Themes
MoralCultureScienceChristianityKnowledgeEnlightenment
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used during a debate on the ethics of scientific research.
More from Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
All quotes →Destiny grants us our wishes, but in its own way, in order to give us something beyond our wishes.
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There is a courtesy of the heart; it is allied to love. From its springs the purest courtesy in the outward behavior.
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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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Seldom in the business and transactions of ordinary life, do we find the sympathy we want.
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Know thyself? If I knew myself I would run away.
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