For what are in reality the things we call ‘Wisdom, ’ ‘Virtue, ’ ‘Heroism, ’ ‘sublime hours, ’ and ‘great moments of life, ’ but the moments when we have more or less issued forth from ourselves, and have been able to halt, be it only for an instant, on the step of one of the eternal gates whence we see that the faintest cry, the most colourless thought, and most nerveless gestures do not drop into nothingness; … . Maurice Maeterlinck
About This Quote

In this quote, Goethe says that wisdom, virtue, heroism, and sublime hours are not the things we think they are. In reality, they are the moments when we have been able to halt, be it only for an instant, on the step of one of the eternal gates from whence we see that the faintest cry, the most colourless thought, and most nerveless gestures do not drop into nothingness. They are moments when we have been able to see that life is full of beauty and meaning. This is where wisdom can be born.

Source: The Treasure Of The Humble

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