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Wilhelm von Humboldt

Wilhelm von Humboldt Quotes

Philosopher

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Famous Wilhelm von Humboldt Quotes

“One must not consider a language as a product dead, and formed but once; it is an animate being, and ever creative. Human thought elaborates itself with the progress of intelligence; and of this thought language is a manifestation. An idiom cannot therefore remain stationary; it walks, it develops, it grows up, it fortifies itself, it becomes old, and it reaches decrepitude.”

HumansLanguageGrowsWalksCreativeGrowing UpProgressProductsManifestationHuman ThoughtIdiomStationary
Author:Wilhelm von Humboldt
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“Reason cannot desire for man any condition other than that in which not only every individual enjoys the most absolute, unbounded freedom to develop himself out of himself, in true individuality, but in which physical nature, as well, need receive no other shaping by human hands than that which is given to her voluntarily by each individual, according to the measure of his wants and his inclinations, restricted only by the limits of his energy and his rights.”

MenWantNeedsHumansWellsReasonHandsDesireIndividualEnergyGivenEnjoyRightsConditionsLimitsAbsolutesIndividualityInclinationHuman Hands
Author:Wilhelm von Humboldt
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“It is an absolutely vain endeavor to attempt to reconstruct or even comprehend the nature of a human being by simply knowing the forces which have acted upon him. However deeply we should like to penetrate, however close we seem to be drawing to truth, one unknown quantity eludes us: man's primordial energy, his original self, that personality which was given him with the gift of life itself. On it rests man's true freedom; it alone determines his real character.”

MenShouldHumansRealSelfCharacterSeemsEnergyGivenForceHuman BeingsKnowingPersonalityOriginalsDetermineDrawingVainEndeavorQuantityPenetrateTrue FreedomEludeOrigin Of LifeGifts Of LifeReal CharacterElude Us
Author:Wilhelm von Humboldt
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