Quotes By Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel

The poetry of this one is called philosophical, of that one philological, of a third rhetorical, and so on. Which is then the poetic poetry?

One can only become a philosopher, but not be one. As one believes he is a philosopher, he stops being one.

Nothing is more witty and grotesque than ancient mythology and Christianity; that is because they are so mystical.

Whoever does not philosophize for the sake of philosophy, but rather uses philosophy as a means, is a sophist.

He who does not become familiar with nature through love will never know her.

Aphorisms are the true form of the universal philosophy.

The subject of history is the gradual realization of all that is practically necessary.

Women do not have as great a need for poetry because their own essence is poetry.

Set religion free, and a new humanity will begin.

What is lost in the good or excellent translation is precisely the best.

How many authors are there among writers? Author means originator.

Novels tend to end as the Paternoster begins: with the kingdom of God on earth.

Many works of the ancients have become fragments. Many works of the moderns are fragments at the time of their origin.

Religion is not only a part of education, an element of humanity, but the center of everything else, always the first and the ultimate, the absolutely original.

Versatility of education can be found in our best poetry, but the depth of mankind should be found in the philosopher.

When reason and unreason come into contact, an electrical shock occurs. This is called polemics.

Wit is an explosion of the compound spirit.

What men are among the other formations of the earth, artists are among men.

Mysteries are feminine; they like to veil themselves but still want to be seen and divined.

As the ancient commander addressed his soldiers before battle, so should the moralist speak to men in the struggle of the era.

Art and works of art do not make an artist; sense and enthusiasm and instinct do.

What is called good society is usually nothing but a mosaic of polished caricatures.

Religion is absolutely unfathomable. Always and everywhere one can dig more deeply into infinities.

Ideas are infinite, original, and lively divine thoughts.

A definition of poetry can only determine what poetry should be and not what poetry actually was and is; otherwise the most concise formula would be: Poetry is that which at some time and some place was thus named.

About no subject is there less philosophizing than about philosophy.

Witty inspirations are the proverbs of the educated.

The historian is a prophet looking backward.

An artist is he for whom the goal and center of life is to form his mind.

If you want to see mankind fully, look at a family. Within the family minds become organically one, and for this reason the family is total poetry.