“If one believes philosophers, then what we call religion is only a deliberately popularized or an instinctively artless philosophy. Poets seem to consider religion rather as a variation of poetry which by misjudging its proper beautiful game takes itself too seriously and one-sidedly. Philosophy, however, admits and recognizes that it can begin and complete itself only with religion. Poetry seeks only to strive for the infinite and despises worldly utility and culture, which are the true antitheses of religion. Eternal peace among artists is thus not far away.” IfsBelievePhilosophySeemsBeautifulPoetryArtistReligionCultureGamesPoetEternalPhilosophicalInfiniteStrivePhilosopherDespiseFar AwayWorldlyUtilityVariationAntithesisEternal Peace Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
“It is a thoughtless and immodest presumption to learn anything about art from philosophy. Some do begin as if they hoped to learnsomething new here, since philosophy cannot and should not do anything further than develop the given art experiences and the existing art concepts into a science, improve the views of art, and promote them with the help of a thoroughly scholarly art history, and produce that logical mood about these subjects too which unites absolute liberalism with absolute rigor.” IfsShouldArtPhilosophyHelpingGivenViewsSubjectsProduceConceptsAbsolutesPhilosophicalMoodLiberalismLogicalSomething NewPresumptionArt HistoryRigorScholarly Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
“If the mystical lovers of the arts, who consider all criticism dissection and all dissection destruction of enjoyment, thought logically, an exclamation like "Goodness alive!" would be the best criticism of the most deserving work of art. There are critiques which say nothing but that, only they do so more extensively.” IfsArtWould BeAliveLoversGoodnessCriticismDestructionEnjoymentBeing The BestWorks Of ArtMysticalCritiqueDeservingExclamationDissection Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
“When the author has no idea of what to reply to a critic, he then likes to say: you could not do it better anyway. This is the same as if a dogmatic philosopher reproached a skeptic for not being able to devise a system.” IfsIdeasAbleCriticismCriticsPhilosopherLikesNo IdeaSkepticDogmatic Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
“An artist is he who has his center within himself. He who lacks this must choose a particular leader and mediator outside of himself, not forever, however, but only at first. For man cannot exist without a living center, and if he does not have it within himself, he may seek it only in a human being. Only a human being and his center can stimulate and awaken that of another.” IfsMenFirstsHumansMayDoeArtistHuman BeingsLeaderForeverParticularMediators Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
“In England, wit is at least a profession, if not an art. everything becomes professional there, and even the rogues of that islandare pedants. So are the "wits" there too. They introduce into reality absolute freedom whose reflection lends a romantic and piquant air to wit, and thus they live wittily; hence their talent for madness. They die for their principles.” IfsArtRealityDiesPrinciplesAirTalentReflectionMadnessEnglandAbsolutesProfessionWitIntroducingRoguesAbsolute FreedomPedants Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
“If one writes or reads novels from the point of view of psychology, it is very inconsistent and petty to want to shy away from even the slowest and most detailed analysis of the most unnatural lusts, gruesome tortures, shocking infamy, and disgusting sensual or spiritual impotence.” IfsWantWritingSpiritualViewsNovelPsychologyPoint Of ViewLustSensualAnalysisTortureShyDisgustingShockingPettyUnnaturalInconsistentImpotenceInfamy Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
“Is it not superfluous to write more than one novel if the writer has not become, say, a new man? Obviously, all the novels of an author not infrequently belong together and are to a certain degree only one novel.” IfsMenWritingTogetherCertainNovelDegreesSuperfluous Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
“If the essence of cynicism consists in preferring nature to art, virtue to beauty and science; in not bothering about the letter of things -- to which the Stoic strictly adheres -- but in looking up to the spirit of things; in absolute contempt of all economic values and political splendor, and in courageous defence of the rights of independent freedom; then Christianity would be nothing but universal cynicism.” IfsArtWould BePoliticalSpiritValuesChristianityVirtueRightsEconomicLettersEssenceUniversalAbsolutesIndependentBotherCourageousContemptCynicismDefenceSplendorStoicEconomic Value Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
“The naive is what is or appears to be natural, individual, or classical to the point of irony or to the point of continuous alternation of self-creation and self-destruction. If it is only instinct, then it is childlike, childish, or silly; if it is only intention, it becomes affectation.” IfsSelfIndividualNaturalCreationDestructionIntentionInstinctSillyIronyNaiveSelf DestructionChildlike Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
“Some speak of the public as if it were someone with whom they have had dinner at the Leipzig Fair in the Hotel de Saxe. Who is this public? The public is not a thing, but rather an idea, a postulate, like the Church.” IfsIdeasSpeakChurchFairsDinnerHotelLeipzig Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
“The most important thing in love is the sense for one another, and the highest thing the faith in one another. Devotion is the expression of that faith, and pleasure can revive and enhance that sense, even if not create it, as is commonly thought. Therefore, sensuality can delude bad persons for a short time into thinking they could love each other.” IfsThinkingPersonsImportantLove IsPleasureExpressionHighestImportant ThingsDevotionSensualityLove Each OtherShort TimeRevive Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
“There is no self-knowledge except historical self-knowledge. No one knows what he is if he doesn't know what his contemporaries are.” IfsKnowsSelfHistoricalSelf Knowledge Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
“The difference between religion and morality lies simply in the classical division of things into the divine and the human, if one only interprets this correctly.” IfsHumansLyingReligionLiteratureDifferencesDivineMoralityDivision Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
“If you want to penetrate into the heart of physics, then let yourself be initiated into the mysteries of poetry.” IfsWantHeartMysteryPhysicsPenetrate Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
“If you want to see mankind fully, look at a family. Within the family minds become organically one, and for this reason the family is total poetry.” IfsWantMindLooksReasonLiteratureMankind Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
