Current favourite lines:
The mind can be highly delighted in two ways: by perception and conception. But the former demands a worthy object, which is not always at hand, and a proportionate culture, which one does not immediately attain. Conception, on the other hand, requires only susceptibility: it brings its subject-matter with it, and is itself the instrument of culture. (Goethe, Dichtung und Wahrheit)
The line I most often remember from Goethe —
• “Action limits, thought lames.”
Well, that and “Das Beste …”
Action limits, thought lames. Had never heard that one. Thanks for sharing. :)