Johann Christoph Friedrich (von) Schiller was born on 10th November 1759 in Marbach am Neckar, Duchy of Wurttemberg. He was a German poet, physician, historian, and playwright. He attended the Karlsschule Stuttgart in 1773, where he studied medicine. Schiller used to read Rousseau and Goethe. In 1789, he was appointed as a professor of History and Philosophy in Jena.
He was married to Charlotte von Lengefeld, and they had four children. Schiller's Leben, an autobiography of him, is written by his sister-in-law Caroline von Wolzogen in 1830. The city of Stuttgart erected a statue in his memory in 1839. A Schiller monument was made on Berlin's Gendarmenmarkt in 1871. In 1964, his image appeared on the German Democratic Republic 10 banknotes.
He wrote some of the most famous plays like The Robbers, Don Carlos, Intrigue and Love, Mary Stuart, and many more. He died on 9th May 1805 in Weimar, Germany.
Some of the most famous quotes by Friedrich Schiller are as follows.
Against stupidity the very gods themselves contend in vain.
Even the Gods are helpless before stupidity. Stupidity doesn't mean lack of knowledge; it means lack of understanding and the stubbornness to have a proper perspective in life. Even the Gods cannot deal with the rigid minds of stupid people.
The strong man is strongest when alone.
Two is a crowd. A strong man never needs anyone else; he is enough. He never thinks of public support. He is stronger when he is alone too. One should never think that he will become weak if he stands alone.
Keep true to the dreams of your youth.
One should always stay true to their dreams of youth. He should never give up his dreams. He should try to dream something and stick to it for the rest of his life. He should work hard and put in efforts to achieve what he wants, and his dreams will come true eventually.
A merely fallen enemy may rise again, but the reconciled one is truly vanquished.
A defeated enemy might rise again, but it becomes your greatest victory when you reconcile with your enemy. Once you make your enemy your friend, you truly win. It's not always about winning prizes. Sometimes, it is about winning hearts.
Disappointments are to the soul what a thunderstorm is to the air.
Disappointment, just like a storm, is tumultuous. It destroys the peacefulness and serenity of both the atmosphere and the soul. We should never get disappointed about anything in life. We should always try to accept and move on.
Grace is the beauty of form under the influence of freedom.
Freedom plays a great role in anything, and everything that you do, the way you dress, the way you walk, the way you talk, and every other thing from basic to the ultimate depends upon your freedom. If you aren't free, your mind would constantly struggle to free yourself from the bondage, practically having no time to make you look graceful. But if you are free, your choice of grace is in your hand. Choose wisely and let grace enhance your beauty.
Continue reading some of the best Friedrich Schiller Quotes...
Happy he who learns to bear what he cannot change.
Adjustment is the key to happiness, always. If you want to be accepted just the way you are, and every other being has this same mentality, then there won't be any harmony in the end. So a little adjustment is what everyone has to make to be happy. If you can't change something, try to adjust, and you will eventually start liking it.
Lose not yourself in a far-off time, seize the moment that is thine.
The past is past already and the future, depends upon what you are doing now, so instead of worrying and judging what you did in the past thereby ruining your present, work now, live like this is the moment, because this moment is yours and you can design it in your way.
Who dares nothing, need hope for nothing.
The one who dares is the one who needs to be hopeful because taking a risk is a great step, and the result is left in the hands of hope next. But the ones who don't even dare to go beyond their comfort zones don't need any hope because they are not taking any risk as such.
The voice of the majority is no proof of justice.
The majority might win, but the majority might not always be right. What if the majority believes something technically wrong. The biggest example when Galileo said that it is the earth that revolves around the sun and not the sun that revolves. He was arrested and was marked to be a non-believer because he went against the "majority". But today, we know what the truth is. So clearly, the majority doesn't win.
Few more Friedrich Schiller Quotes...
The rich become richer and the poor become poorer is a cry heard throughout the whole civilized world.
This is such an unbalanced thing. The ones who are rich have access to everything, invest in almost everything, and then make money in every possible way, thereby becoming richer, whereas the poor, not having enough means from the beginning itself, fail to have access to most of the things. Eventually, their chances of earning money narrows down, thereby the poor become poorer.
Man only plays when in the full meaning of the word he is a man, and he is only completely a man when he plays.
A man is truly a man when he is not afraid of anything and is ready to take chances. A true man never fails to use his opportunities. He always makes the most out of each opportunity. Success and failures only make them a man.
Peace is rarely denied to the peaceful.
Peace is a state of mind. Those who are peaceful at heart, always remain peaceful. When we accept that we are at peace, we live a peaceful life. Being peaceful is a choice that we make,
That which is so universal as death must be a benefit.
Death is universal, because why not? After all, we all petty mortal brings are destined to die. Whatever be our origin, whatever be our background, however rich or poor we might be, death, for all, is the ultimatum. So it is a benefit because it frees a soul from all its burdens, and also, everyone receives equal treatment after death at least.
Art is the daughter of freedom.
Art and freedom are synonymous. Art and freedom are two sides of the same coin. Freedom is like the parent and art is its daughter. Art and freedom go hand in hand. They are inseparable.
Dare to err and to dream. Deep meaning often lies in childish plays.
One should always take risks and dream. Making mistakes help you to grow stronger day by day, and when you dream, you have a direction to move forward to; what you otherwise do not do seriously.
Few more Friedrich Schiller Quotes...
He who has done his best for his own time has lived for all times.
Those who have done their best in their lifetime are never forgotten. They are always remembered by every generation that comes next. So, we should try to make the most out of our lives and do whatever we can for this society.
Art is the right hand of Nature. The latter has only given us being, the former has made us men.
Nature and art co-exist. They are completely interconnected. Nature has made us human, but the humane qualities are instilled in us by art. Art makes us human. It makes us feel things.
Mankind is made great or little by its own will.
Everything has its own positive and negative aspects. When we look at the brighter side, we talk about the good things that mankind has provided to us, and when we look at the dim side, we talk about the negative aspect. It is all about our perspectives and our approach towards everything in life.
Revenge is barren of itself: it is the dreadful food it feeds on; its delight is murder, and its end is despair.
Revenge is the last step one should resort to. One who has the urge to take revenge on anybody can never be happy in his life. Gradually, it leads to the urge to murdering, and revenge only leads to despair. It can never have a happy ending.
