Motto Collection

Author: (German) Lichtenberg
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-03-01
Features: G. Chr. Lichtenberg (1742-1799) was an Enlightenment scholar, outstanding thinker, satirical writer, and political essayist in the second half of the 18th century in Germany. He was deeply respected and admired by several generations of philosophy and literary masters such as Kant, Goethe, Nietzsche, Leo Tolstoy, and Herzen. Goethe compared Lichtenberg's works to a magical wand that points out the issues at hand. Tolstoy included his "Collected Aphorisms" in his "Reading Range," a collection of "outstanding thoughts by outstanding writers." However, until the mid-20th century, this immensely influential scholar remained obscure and little-known. Tolstoy was greatly displeased by this, complaining that he "couldn't understand why contemporary Germans would ignore Lichtenberg and instead be fascinated by Nietzsche's witty little essays."