Friedrich Schiller

Grace is the beauty of form under the influence of freedom.

While the gods remained more human, the men were more divine.

In the case of the creative mind, it seems to me, the intellect has withdrawn its watchers from the gates, and the ideas rush in pell-mell, and only then does it review and inspect the multitude. You worthy critics, or whatever you may call yourselves, are ashamed or afraid of the momentary and passing madness which is found in all real creators, the longer or shorter duration of which distinguishes the thinking artist from the dreamer. Hence your complaints of unfruitfulness, for you reject too soon and discriminate too severely.

It seems a bad thing and detrimental to the creative work of the mind if Reason makes to close an examination of the ideas as they come pouring in -at the very gateway, as it were. Looked at in isolation, a thought may seem very trivial or very fantastic; but it may be made important by another thought that comes after it, and in conjunction with other thoughts that may seem equally absurd, it may serve to form a most effective link. Reason cannot form any opinion on all this unless it retains the thought long enough to look at it in connection with the others. On the other hand, where there is a creative mind, Reason -so it seems to me- relaxes its watch upon the gates, and the ideas rush in pell-mell, and only then does it look them through and examine them in a mass.

When the mechanic has to mend a watch he lets the wheels run out; but the living watchworks of the state have to be repaired while they act, and a wheel has to be exchanged for another during its revolutions.

O friends, no more these sounds!Let us sing more cheerful songs, more full of joy!

Every true genius is bound to be naive.

If you cannot please everyone with your deeds and your art, please a few. To please many is bad.

Disappointments are to the soul what a thunderstorm is to the air.

To save all we must risk all.

A gloomy guest fits not a wedding feast.

The strong man is strongest when alone.

Only through Beauty's morning-gate, dost thou penetrate the land of knowledge.

Peace is rarely denied to the peaceful.

Full of wisdom are the ordinations of fate.

They would need to be already wise, in order to love wisdom.

Art is the daughter of freedom.

No emperor has the power to dictate to the heart.