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One should never forget, that society would rather be amused than instructed.

— Adolph Freiherr Knigge Über den Umgang mit Menschen (1788)

Vor allen Dingen soll man nie vergessen, daß die Gesellschaft lieber unterhalten, als unterrichtet sein will.

Original text (German)

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Variants

Above all, we should never forget that society would prefer to be entertained, than taught.

More quotes by Adolph Freiherr Knigge

In many matters children — not ensnared by dogmatism, passion, or erudition — judge far truer than adults.

Über den Umgang mit Menschen (1788)

Without inspiration, which fills the soul with a healthy warmth, nothing great can ever be brought to pass.

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Achte dich selbst, wenn du willst, dass andere dich achten sollen!

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Compulsion kills all noble, freely given devotion.

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There is no such thing as a 'white lie' — there has not yet been an untruth uttered, that sooner or later hasn't led to unfortunate consequences for everyone.

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