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Full Idea
The happiest man is one who can link the end of his life with its beginning.
Gist of Idea
The happiest people link the beginning and end of life
Source
Wolfgang von Goethe (Maxims and Reflections [1825], 140)
Book Ref
Goethe,J. Wolfgang: 'Maxims and Reflections' [Penguin 1840], p.16
A Reaction
[from 'Art and Antiquity']. A nice thought, which chimes in with the idea that a good life is like a complete story or a work of art (Idea 7501), or that it is 'eudaimon'.
Related Idea
Idea 7501 Why couldn't a person's life become a work of art? [Foucault]
| 7538 | The happiest people link the beginning and end of life [Goethe] |
| 7539 | To get duties from people without rights, you must pay them well [Goethe] |
| 7540 | Beauty is a manifestation of secret natural laws [Goethe] |
| 7541 | Man never understands how anthropomorphic he is [Goethe] |
| 7542 | The best form of government teaches us to govern ourselves [Goethe] |
| 7543 | We gain self-knowledge through action, not thought - especially when doing our duty [Goethe] |
| 7544 | Many people imagine that to experience is to understand [Goethe] |