All the knowledge I possess everyone else can acquire, but my heart is all my own.
Johann Wolfgang Von GoetheRead
Whether one show one's self a man of genius in science or compose a song, the only point is, whether the thought, the discovery, the deed, is living and can live on.
Interpretation
The essence of creativity lies in producing work that is impactful and enduring.
In this quote, Goethe emphasizes that the true measure of artistic or scientific achievement is not merely the act of creation itself, but the lasting impact and liveliness of the ideas or discoveries produced. Whether in science or art, the significance lies in how these creations resonate with life and the world beyond their initial moment of conception.
In practice
During a presentation on creativity, I could use this quote by Goethe to highlight the importance of impactful work.
All the knowledge I possess everyone else can acquire, but my heart is all my own.
Destiny grants us our wishes, but in its own way, in order to give us something beyond our wishes.
There is a courtesy of the heart; it is allied to love. From its springs the purest courtesy in the outward behavior.
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!
Seldom in the business and transactions of ordinary life, do we find the sympathy we want.
Know thyself? If I knew myself I would run away.
Animation is the one type of movie that really does play for the entire audience. Our challenge is to make stories that connect for kids and adults.
There are some subjects that can only be tackled in fiction.
So many women characters are extensions of male fantasy.
I'm coming from the notion that acting is an art. It is not a business. It is about building characters, not about selling personalities.
In an artist's life, death is perhaps not the most difficult thing.
I believe that stories are incredibly important, possibly in ways we don't understand, in allowing us to make sense of our lives, in allowing us to escape our lives, in giving us empathy and in creating the world that we live in.
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