What good to me is the festive garment of freedom when I am in a slave's smock at home? Johann Georg Hamann More Quotes by Johann Georg Hamann More Quotes From Johann Georg Hamann Our reason arises, at the very least, from this twofold lesson of sensuous revelations and human testimonies. Johann Georg Hamann lessons sensual reason Being, belief and reason are pure relations, which cannot be dealt with absolutely, and are not things but pure scholastic concepts, signs for understanding, not for worshipping, aids to awaken our attention, not to fetter it. Johann Georg Hamann hiv awakening understanding Not only the entire ability to think rests on language... but language is also the crux of the misunderstanding of reason with itself. Johann Georg Hamann language reason thinking If only I was as eloquent as Demosthenes, I would have to do no more than repeat a single word three times. Reason is language - Logos; I gnaw on this marrowbone and will gnaw myself to death over it. It is still always dark over these depths for me: I am still always awaiting an apocalyptic angel with a key to this abyss. Johann Georg Hamann angel keys dark A thirsty ambition for truth and virtue, and a frenzy to conquer all lies and vices which are not recognized as such nor desire to be; herein consists the heroic spirit of the philosopher. Johann Georg Hamann ambition desire lying Indeed, if a chief question does remain: how is the power to think possible? - The power to think right and left, before and without, with and above experience? then it does not take a deduction to prove the genealogical priority of language. Johann Georg Hamann priorities doe thinking Physics is nothing but the ABC's. Nature is an equation with an unknown, a Hebrew word which is written only with consonants to which reason has to add the dots. Johann Georg Hamann abcs dots add What for others is style, for me is soul. Johann Georg Hamann style soul Every phenomenon of nature was a word, - the sign, symbol and pledge of a new, mysterious, inexpressible but all the more intimate union, participation and community of divine energies and ideas. Johann Georg Hamann community energy ideas Everything is vain and tortures the spirit instead of calming and satisfying it. Johann Georg Hamann calming vain spirit A writer who is in a hurry to be understood today or tomorrow runs the danger of being misunderstood the day after tomorrow. Johann Georg Hamann misunderstood running today Everything the human being heard from the beginning, saw with its eyes, looked upon and touched with its hands was a living word; for God was the word. Johann Georg Hamann saws eye hands When I rest my feet my mind also ceases to function. Johann Georg Hamann function feet mind I look upon logical proofs the way a well-bred girl looks upon a love letter Johann Georg Hamann girl letters looks Poetry is the mother-tongue of the human race. Johann Georg Hamann poetry race mother Lies, fables and romances must needs be probable, but not the truth and foundation of our faith. Johann Georg Hamann romance faith lying Hence it happens that one takes words for concepts, and concepts for the things themselves Johann Georg Hamann concepts happens Few authors understand themselves, and a proper reader must not only understand his author but also be able to see beyond him. Johann Georg Hamann able reader The farther reason looks the greater is the haze in which it loses itself. Johann Georg Hamann fog reason looks The philosophers have always given truth a bill of divorce, by separating what nature has joined together and vice versa. Johann Georg Hamann divorce vices together
