Quotes By Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel

Since philosophy now criticizes everything it comes across, a critique of philosophy would be nothing less than a just reprisal.

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

It is peculiar to mankind to transcend mankind.

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.

Every good man progressively becomes God. To become God, to be man, and to educate oneself, are expressions that are synonymous.

The surest method of being incomprehensible or, moreover, to be misunderstood is to use words in their original sense; especially words from the ancient languages.

Irony is the form of paradox. Paradox is what is good and great at the same time.

Reason is mechanical, wit chemical, and genius organic spirit.

Nothing truly convincing - which would possess thoroughness, vigor, and skill - has been written against the ancients as yet; especially not against their poetry.

Every complete man has his genius. True virtue is genius.

A so-called happy marriage corresponds to love as a correct poem to an improvised song.

A classical work doesn't ever have to be understood entirely. But those who are educated and who are still educating themselves must desire to learn more and more from it.

Duty is for Kant the One and All. Out of the duty of gratitude, he claims, one has to defend and esteem the ancients; and only out of duty has he become a great man.

Religion can emerge in all forms of feeling: here wild anger, there the sweetest pain; here consuming hatred, there the childlike smile of serene humility.

Every uneducated person is a caricature of himself.

Wit as an instrument of revenge is as infamous as art is as a means of sensual titillation.

Publication is to thinking as childbirth is to the first kiss.

Religion must completely encircle the spirit of ethical man like his element, and this luminous chaos of divine thoughts and feelings is called enthusiasm.

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

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

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.

Novels are the Socratic dialogues of our time. Practical wisdom fled from school wisdom into this liberal form.

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

He who has religion will speak poetry. But philosophy is the tool with which to seek and discover religion.

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

One has only as much morality as one has philosophy and poetry.

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