Some theories are good for nothing except to be argued about. Georg C. Lichtenberg More Quotes by Georg C. Lichtenberg More Quotes From Georg C. Lichtenberg Knowledge acquired too rapidly and without being personally supplemented is never very productive. Georg C. Lichtenberg productive Never undertake anything unless you have the heart to ask Heaven's blessing on your undertaking. Georg C. Lichtenberg blessing heart heaven Is it so unjust that a man should leave the world by the same gate through which he entered it? Georg C. Lichtenberg unjust men world Body and soul: a horse harnessed beside an ox. Georg C. Lichtenberg horse body soul It is a dangerous thing for the perfecting of our minds to gain applause by works that do not call forth the whole of our energies; for in that case one generally comes to a standstill. Georg C. Lichtenberg gains energy mind Honor is infinitely more valuable than positions of honor. Georg C. Lichtenberg valuable position honor To live when you do not want to is dreadful, but it would be even more terrible to be immortal when you did not want to be. As things are, however, the whole ghastly burden is suspended from me by a thread which I can cut in two with a penny-knife. Georg C. Lichtenberg knives cutting two The feeling of health can only be gained by sickness. Georg C. Lichtenberg sickness feelings Never trust a man who lays his hand on his heart when he assures you of anything. Georg C. Lichtenberg heart men hands One use of dreams is that, unprejudiced by our often forced and artificial reflections, they represent the impartial outcome of our entire being. Georg C. Lichtenberg use reflection dream I am grateful that I am not as judgmental as all those censorious, self-righteous people around me. In each of us there is a little of all of us. Georg C. Lichtenberg grateful self people Man is so perfectable and corruptible he can become a fool through good sense. Georg C. Lichtenberg fools-and-foolishness foolish-man men He who says he hates all kinds of flattery, and says so in earnest, has undoubtedly not as yet become acquainted with all kinds of it, whether in substance or in form. Georg C. Lichtenberg substance hate kind Is it not strange that mankind should so willingly battle for religion and so unwillingly live according to its precepts? Georg C. Lichtenberg strange battle should What makes our poetry so contemptible nowadays is its paucity of ideas. If you want to be read, invent. Who the Devil wouldn't like to read something new? Georg C. Lichtenberg devil want ideas If nature be regarded as the teacher and we poor human beings as her pupils, the human race presents a very curious picture. We all sit together at a lecture and possess the necessary principles for understanding it, yet we always pay more attention to the chatter of our fellow students than to the lecturer's discourse. Or, if our neighbor copies something down, we sneak it from him, stealing what he himself may have heard imperfectly, and add it to our own errors of spelling and opinion. Georg C. Lichtenberg errors race teacher There is something in the character of every man which cannot be broken in--the skeleton of his character; and to try to alter this is like training a sheep for draught purposes. Georg C. Lichtenberg skeletons character men Before one blames, one should always find out whether one cannot excuse. Georg C. Lichtenberg blame excuse should There is something in our minds like sunshine and the weather, which is not under our control. When I write, the best things come to me from I know not where. Georg C. Lichtenberg sunshine writing weather Truly, men make too little use of their lives; and so it is no wonder that the world should still be in such a poor way. Georg C. Lichtenberg use men world
