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Wit is the appearance, the external flash of imagination. Thus its divinity, and the witty character of mysticism.

— Friedrich Schlegel

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Notes from Wikiquote

Wit is the appearance, the external flash, of fantasy. Hence its divinity and the similarity to the wit of mysticism. | As translated in The Early Political Writings of the German Romantics (1996) edited by Frederick C. Beiser, p. 131

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Imagination

More quotes by Friedrich Schlegel

Life is writing. The sole purpose of mankind is to engrave the thoughts of divinity onto the tablets of nature.

Expect nothing more from philosophy than a voice, language and grammar of the instinct for Godliness that lies at its origin, and, essentially, is philosophy itself.

To live classically and to realize antiquity practically within oneself is the summit and goal of philology.

There are people with whom everything they consider a means turns mysteriously into an end.

Morality has always had a difficult time of it; utility and legality even begrudge the fact of its existence.

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Friedrich Schlegel (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.