95 Best 'Faust' Quotes By Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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'Faust' is a tragic play written by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe which is regarded as his magnum opus and a gem in German literature.
Divided into two parts, the plot of 'Faust' is centered on the protagonist Faust who is on a quest seeking eternal knowledge and sells his soul to the demon Mephistopheles in exchange of which, he will do everything that Faust asks of him.
In the end, despite having gained all the knowledge of the world, as per the contract, Mephistopheles drags him to hell to serve him for eternity.
The prime lesson that Faust teaches us that incessant greed even for knowledge is bound to lead to the downfall of the person. Here is a list of some quotes from the play, 'Faust'.
If you like this, check out Victor Hugo quotes and [Edgar Allen Poe quotes].
Goethe 'Faust' Quotes
Here is a list of Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe quotes in'Faust'. You also find the famous Tree of Life quote here.
1. "I am part of that power which eternally wills evil and eternally works good."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
2. "One who has passed the thirtieth year already is as good as dead-it would be best to kill you off by then."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
3. "That which issues from the heart alone, will bend the hearts of others to your own."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
4. "Men grieve so with the days of their lamenting, [he] even hate[s] to plague them with [his] torments."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
5. "And now beginnest, all thy gladness granting, a vigorous resolution to restore me, to seek that highest life for which I'm panting.”
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
6. "Now’s the time, to prove through man’s action dignity may rise divinely high."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
7. "All theory is gray, my friend. But forever green is the tree of life."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
8. "Oh my, but art is long and our life is fleeting."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
9. "Men's wretchedness in soothe I so deplore, not even I would plague the sorry creatures more."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
10. "If I wasn't a devil myself I'd give me up to the Devil this very minute."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
11. "E’en hell hath its peculiar laws."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
12. "Happy is he who has the pure truth in him. He will regret no sacrifice that keeps it."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
13. "Striving towards the passage there round whose mouth all Hell’s fires flame; Choose to take that step, happy to go where danger lies, where Nothingness may flow."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
14. "Waste not a day in vain digression; with resolute, courageous trust seek every possible impression and make it firmly your poses."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
15. "When I leave here, let come what must. What do I care about it now, if hereafter men hate or love, or if in those other spheres there be an Above or a Below?"
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
16. "While still man strives, still he must err."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
17. "Gird thee for the high endeavor; Shun the crowd’s ignoble ease!"
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
18. "Two souls live in me, alas, irreconcilable with one another."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
19. "Let me dare to throw those gates open, that other men go creeping by!"
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
20. "Stop making love to your misery, it eats away at you like a vulture! "
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
21. "By Fortune's adverse buffets overborne to solitude I fled, to wilds forlorn, and not in utter loneliness to live, myself, at last, did to the Devil give!"
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
22. "This night, thou, Earth! hast also stood unshaken,
And now thou breathest new-refreshed before me..."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
23. "Let's plunge ourselves into the roar of time, the whirl of accident; may pain and pleasure, success and failure, shift as they will - it's only action that can make a man."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
24. "This greater life, this godlike bliss! You, but a worm, have you earned this?"
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
25. "I’ve studied now, to my regret,
Philosophy, Law, Medicine,
and—what is worst—Theology
from end to end with diligence.
Yet here I am, a wretched fool
and still no wiser than before."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
Mephistopheles Quotes
Here's a list of some of the choicest quotes by deuteragonist Mephistopheles. These Mephistopheles quotes might just be your favorite.
26. "I am the spirit of perpetual negation."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
27. "Forbear to trifle longer with thy grief."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
28. "I am not omniscient, but I know a lot."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
29. "I am part of the part that once was everything."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
30. "Blood is a very special juice."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
31. "Methinks, by most, ‘twill be confess’dn that Death is never quite a welcome guest."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
32. "What good for us this endless creating? What is created then annihilating?"
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
33. "That seems a petty question
from one who is so scornful of the Word
and who, aloof from mere appearance,
only aspires to plumb the depths of essence."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
34. "The Lord. You've nothing more to say to me? You come but to complain unendingly? Is never aught right to your mind?"
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
35. "Dust shall he eat, and greedily, like my celebrated serpent-cousin..."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
German Literature Quotes Of 'Faust'
Here is a list of 'Faust' quotes that impacted the world of German literature.
36. "No matter what I wear, I hardly can escape
the torment of a life confined to earth."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
37. "You are aware of only one unrest; Oh, never learn to know the other!"
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
38. "There are but two roads that lead to an important goal and to the doing of great things: strength and perseverance."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
39. "I nothing had, and yet enough for youth - Joy in Illusion, ardent thirst for Truth."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
40. "I’m well aware how much I’ve still to learn."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
41. "Everything transitory is but an image."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
42. "Thus by existence tortured and oppressed I crave for death, I long for rest."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
43. "Two souls, alas, are dwelling in my breast, and one is striving to forsake its brother."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
44. "Happy the man who still can hope to swim to safety in this sea of error."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
45. "One mind is enough for a thousand hands."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
46. "That which issues from the heart alone, will bend the hearts of others to your own."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
47. "How futile it has been to have amassed
a treasury of human thought and knowledge!"
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
48. "Give unrestrained, the old emotion, the bliss that touched the verge of pain."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
49. "Delivery alone can make a speech a hit."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
50. "Dear me! how long is art!
And short is our life!"
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
51. "Who strives always to the utmost, for him there is salvation."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
52. "That which issues from the heart alone, will bend the hearts of others to your own."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
53. "A picture of a woman of surpassing beauty!
Can any woman be so lovely?"
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
54. "How to please the public - that's the test."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
55. "O lend me, Love, your fleetest wings
and lead me to Elysium!"
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
56. "Who are you then? I am part of that power which eternally wills evil and eternally works good."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
57. "What you inherit from your father must first be earned before it's yours."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
58. "That which issues from the heart alone, will bend the hearts of others to your own."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
59. "What am I seeing in this magic mirror?
A form whose beauty is divine!"
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
60. "This earth’s the source of all my joys,
and this sun shines upon my sorrows;
if ever I can be divorced from them,
it cannot matter what then happens."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
61. "Glib tongues frill up their hash of knowledge for mankind in polished speeches that are no more than vaporous winds rustling the fallen leaves in autumn."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
62. "As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
63. "I am part of that power which eternally wills evil and eternally works good."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
64. "That which issues from the heart alone, will bend the hearts of others to your own."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
65. "How can we give then something fresh and new that's serious, but entertaining too?"
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
66. "Once I blazed across the sky, Leaving trails of flame; I fell to earth, and here I lie - Who'll help me up again? A shooting star."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
67. "I am too old to live for pleasure only, too young to be without desire."
- Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
68. "Happy the victor on whose brow
Death binds the blood-flecked wreath of laurel!"
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
69. "I reel between desire and enjoyment,
and in enjoyment languish for desire."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
70. "God help us - for art is long, and life so short."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
71. "One look or word from you is far more entertaining than all the wisdom of this world."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
72. "Men's wretchedness in soothe I so deplore, not even I would plague the sorry creatures more. "
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
73. "Offer your homage to the Helper above
Who teaches that we all should help each other."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
74. "A man sees in the world what he carries in his heart."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
75. "Waste not a day in vain digression."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
Important Faust Quotes From 'Faust'
Dr. Faust is the main protagonist of the tragic play. Here is a great list of famous Faust quotes from Goethe's 'Faust'.
76. "Who holds the devil, let him hold him well, he hardly will be caught a second time."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
77. "Intelligence and proper sense
need little art to be expressed."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
78. "I often know amid the scholar's strife a sinking feeling in my mind and heart."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
79. "What I possess, seems far away to me, and what is gone becomes reality."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
80. "Words are mere sound and smoke, dimming the heavenly light."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
81. "And so I sit, poor silly man, No wiser now than when I began."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
82. "While Man's desires and aspirations stir, He cannot choose but err."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
83. "Did we force ourselves on you, or you on us?"
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
84. "Only the Church can take ill-gotten goods without stomach-ache!"
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
85. "Insist on being right, and merely have a tongue, And right you'll be."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
86. "Just try to make an honest living,
and don’t put on a cap and bells!"
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
87. "Her lips so red, her cheeks so bright
All my life I'll not forget that sight."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
88. "Am I a god? Light fills my mind."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
89. "How great a spectacle! But that, I fear,
Is all it is."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
90. "Give up pursuing eloquence, unless You can speak as you feel!"
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
91. "I can hear the message, but believe no longer."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
92. "What we are born with, we must make our own, or it remains a mere appurtenance."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
93. "The clock may stop, the clock-hands fall, and time come to an end for me!"
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
94. "As long as on the earth endures his life to deal with him have full and free permission; man's hour on earth is weakness, error, strife."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
95. "And long before the halfway point is reached, they bury a poor devil in the ground."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 'Faust'.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 'Faust' quotes then why not take a look at Mary Shelley quotes or ['Dr Jeykll And Mr Hyde' quotes]?
Second image credit: lindasky76 / Shutterstock.com
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Bachelor of Arts specializing in English, Master of Arts specializing in English
Rajnandini RoychoudhuryBachelor of Arts specializing in English, Master of Arts specializing in English
With a Master of Arts in English, Rajnandini has pursued her passion for the arts and has become an experienced content writer. She has worked with companies such as Writer's Zone and has had her writing skills recognized by publications such as The Telegraph. Rajnandini is also trilingual and enjoys various hobbies such as music, movies, travel, philanthropy, writing her blog, and reading classic British literature.
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