Quotes and anectdotes from the wise to the foolish, and the courageous to the drunk

Jean Paul Novelist

  • Gender: Male
  • Citizenship: Germany
  • Born: Mar 21, 1763
  • Died: Nov 14, 1825

Jean Paul (21 March 1763 - 14 November 1825), born Johann Paul Friedrich Richter, was a German Romantic writer, best known for his humorous novels and stories.

Jean Paul was born at Wunsiedel, in the Fichtelgebirge mountains (Bavaria). His father was an organist at Wunsiedel. In 1765 his father became a pastor at Joditz near Hof, and in 1767 at Schwarzenbach, but he died on 25 April 1779, leaving the family in great poverty. After attending the Gymnasium at Hof, Jean Paul went in 1781 to the University of Leipzig. His original intention was to enter his father's profession, but theology did not interest him, and he soon devoted himself wholly to the study of literature. Unable to maintain himself at Leipzig he returned in 1784 to Hof, where he lived with his mother. From 1787 to 1789 he served as a tutor at Töpen, a village near Hof; and from 1790 to 1794 he taught the children of several families in a school he had founded in nearby Schwarzenbach.

For sleep, riches and health to be truly enjoyed, they must be interrupted. health

Sorrows are like thunderclouds, in the distance they look black, over our heads scarcely gray. sad

Death gives us sleep, eternal youth, and immortality. death

The more sand that has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it. life & wisdom

Every man regards his own life as the New Year's Eve of time. life & time

Only actions give life strength only moderation gives it charm. strength

Music is moonlight in the gloomy night of life. music

What makes old age so sad is not that our joys but our hopes cease. age & sad

Humanity is never so beautiful as when praying for forgiveness, or else forgiving another. forgiveness

Strong characters are brought out by change of situation, and gentle ones by permanence. change & wisdom

The darkness of death is like the evening twilight it makes all objects appear more lovely to the dying. death

Our birthdays are feathers in the broad wing of time. birthday & time

Courage consists not in blindly overlooking danger, but in seeing it, and conquering it. courage

Beauty attracts us men but if, like an armed magnet it is pointed, beside, with gold and silver, it attracts with tenfold power. beauty & power

Live your life and forget your age. age

Age does not matter if the matter does not age. age

Joy descends gently upon us like the evening dew, and does not patter down like a hailstorm. inspirational

God is an unutterable sigh, planted in the depths of the soul. God