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Man has here two and a half minutes—one to smile, one to sigh, and a half to love: for in the midst of this minute he dies.

Der Mensch hat hier dritthalb Minuten, eine zu lächeln—eine zu seufzen—und eine halbe zu lieben: denn mitten in dieser Minute stirbt er.

Original text (German)

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Life

More quotes by Jean Paul

The miracles of earth are the laws of heaven.

Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers (1895)

The last, best fruit that comes to perfection, even in the kindliest soul, is tenderness toward the hard; forbearance toward the unforbearing; warmth of heart toward the cold; and philanthropy toward the misanthropic.

Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers (1895)

The grandest of heroic deeds are those which are performed within four walls and in domestic privacy.

Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers (1895)

The virtues, like the body, become strong more by labor than by nourishment.

Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers (1895)

The past and future are veiled; but the past wears the widow's veil; the future, the virgin's.

Treasury of Thought (1872)

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To fear love is to fear life, and those who fear life are already three parts dead.

Bertrand Russell Marriage and Morals (1929)

Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact.

William James The Will to Believe and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy (1897)

Reason is Life's sole arbiter, the magic Laby'rinth's single clue:
Worlds lie above, beyond its ken; what crosses it can ne'er be true.

Richard Francis Burton The Kasîdah of Hâjî Abdû El-Yezdî (1870)

It is the law of life that if you are kind to someone you feel happy. If you are cruel you are unhappy. And if you hurt someone, you will be hurt back.

Cary Grant Love – That’s All Cary Grant Ever Thinks About (1964)

Attribution

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