Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Quotes
A mind, once formed, is never suited after,
One yet in growth will ever grateful be.
[Ger., Wer fertig ist, dem ist nichts recht zu machen,
Ein Werdender wird immer dankbar sein.]
von Goethe, Johann Wolfgang. Faust: A Tragedy. Translated by Bayard Taylor, Fields, Osgood, & Co., 1871, p. 10.
Often misattributed to Abraham Lincoln possibly because the quote is found in a paper Lowell wrote about Lincoln but he wasn’t quoting him.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, critic, and amateur artist. His works include: four novels; epic and lyric poetry; prose and verse dramas; memoirs; an autobiography; literary and aesthetic criticism; and treatises on botany, anatomy, and colour. He is considered to be the greatest German literary figure of the modern era.