Possession, it is true, crowns exertion with rest; but it is only in the illusions of fancy that it has power to charm us.
Wilhelm Von HumboldtRead
It is usually more important how a man meets his fate than what it is.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The way we respond to our circumstances is more significant than the circumstances themselves.
This quote emphasizes the importance of our attitude and approach towards life's challenges and situations rather than focusing solely on the nature of those situations. It suggests that our character is revealed through our responses to fate, highlighting the value of resilience, courage, and personal integrity in the face of adversity.
Themes
FateResponseCharacterAttitudeLife
In practice
Example use cases
Using this quote in a motivational speech to encourage resilience in the face of difficulties.
More from Wilhelm Von Humboldt
All quotes βOnly what we have wrought into our character during life can we take with us.
Wilhelm Von HumboldtRead
Wherever the citizen becomes indifferent to his fellows, so will the husband be to his wife, and the father of a family toward the members of his household.
Wilhelm Von HumboldtRead
Joy mingled with sadness, even with grief, is the deepest human joy. It winds itself about the soul with indescribable sweetness, with a dim but unerring sense for what will some day be born of it.
Wilhelm Von HumboldtRead
All situations in which the interrelationships between extremes are involved are the most interesting and instructive.
Wilhelm Von HumboldtRead
It is an absolutely vain endeavor to attempt to reconstruct or even comprehend the nature of a human being by simply knowing the forces which have acted upon him. However deeply we should like to penetrate, however close we seem to be drawing to truth, one unknown quantity eludes us: man's primordial energy, his original self, that personality which was given him with the gift of life itself. On it rests man's true freedom; it alone determines his real character.
Wilhelm Von HumboldtRead
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