Quote by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

If a man writes a book, let him set down only what he knows. I have guesses enough of my own.

If a man writes a book, let him set down only what he knows.

Summary

This quote emphasizes the importance of writing from personal knowledge and expertise rather than basing one's ideas solely on speculation. It encourages authors to only present information that they are genuinely familiar with, as opposed to relying on unfounded guesswork. By doing so, the quote implies that a writer should prioritize integrity and credibility in their work, and that excessive guesswork can undermine the reliability and legitimacy of their ideas.

Topics

Books Man Writing

By Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Liked the quote? Share it with your friends.

Random Quotations

My father was a schoolteacher and my mother came from a teac

My father was a schoolteacher and my mother came from a teacher's family.

Simon van der Meer

Teacher

Nothing matters but the facts. Without them, the science of

Nothing matters but the facts. Without them, the science of criminal investigation is nothing more than a guessing game.

Science

The most important thing is to have a good relationship with

The most important thing is to have a good relationship with the bike... you have to understand what she wants. I think of a motorcycle as a woman, and I know that sounds silly, but it's true.

Valentino Rossi

If the history of the past fifty years teaches us anything,

If the history of the past fifty years teaches us anything, it is that peace does not follow disarmament - disarmament follows peace.

Let those who would write heroic poems make their life an he

Let those who would write heroic poems make their life an heroic poem.

Authors & Writing

So rather than face the bitter truth, China has placed sever

So rather than face the bitter truth, China has placed severe restrictions on the Internet and enlisted America's high-tech companies as their Internet police.

Truth

Our primeval Mother Earth is an organism that no science in

Our primeval Mother Earth is an organism that no science in the world can rationalize. Everything on her that crawls and flies is dependent upon Her and all must hopelessly perish if that Earth dies that feeds us.

Viktor Schauberger

Earth

Never before had I known the sudden quiver of understanding

Never before had I known the sudden quiver of understanding that travels from word to brain to heart, the way a new language can move, coil, swim into life under the eyes, the almost savage leap of comprehension, the instantaneous, joyful release of meaning, the way the words shed their printed bodies in a flash of heat and light.

Elizabeth Kostova

Beauty Language Words

The whole essence of good drawing - and of good thinking, pe

The whole essence of good drawing - and of good thinking, perhaps - is to work a subject down to the simplest form possible and still have it believable for what it is meant to be.

Work

It is difficult to discern a serious threat to religious lib

It is difficult to discern a serious threat to religious liberty from a room of silent, thoughtful schoolchildren.

Sandra Day O'Connor

Politics

Married men live longer than single men. But married men are

Married men live longer than single men. But married men are a lot more willing to die.

Men Marriage

Ability hits the mark where presumption overshoots and diffi

Ability hits the mark where presumption overshoots and diffidence falls short.

John Henry Newman

Ability