/Quotes
10 quotes

Hermann Hesse

1877 - 1962

Hermann Hesse was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter, best known for his works exploring spiritual themes, self-discovery, and the search for authenticity in life. His most famous novels include "Steppenwolf," "Siddhartha," and "The Glass Bead Game," earning him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1946.

  1. People with courage and character always seem sinister to the rest.

    Hermann HesseSteppenwolf, p. 204, 1927
    #courage#character#perception

  2. Without the word, without writing, and without books there would be no history, there could be no concept of humanity.

    Hermann HesseNarcissus and Goldmund, 1930
    #word#history#humanity

  3. The greatest threat to our world and its peace comes from those who want war, who prepare for it, and who, by holding out vague promises of future peace or by instilling fear of foreign aggression, try to make us accomplices to their plans.

    Hermann Hesse
    #war#peace#manipulation

  4. We should forgive our enemies, but not before they are hanged.

    Hermann HesseHeinrich Heine, journals
    #forgiveness#vengeance#justice

  5. It is not our purpose to become each other; it is to recognize each other, to learn to see the other and honor him for what he is.

    Hermann HesseDemian, p. 91, 1919
    #recognition#respect#individuality

  6. Our mind is capable of passing beyond the dividing line we have drawn for it. Beyond the pairs of opposites of which the world consists, other, new insights begin.

    Hermann HesseSiddhartha, p. 145, 1922
    #mind#insights#growth

  7. Some of us think holding on makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go.

    Hermann HesseSiddhartha, p. 108 (approximate location), 1922
    #strength#letting go#resilience

  8. Within you there is a stillness and sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself.

    Hermann HesseSiddhartha
    #stillness#sanctuary#self

  9. Learn what is to be taken seriously and laugh at the rest.

    Hermann HesseSix Novels: With Other Stories and Essays, 1980
    #laughter#seriousness#wisdom

  10. If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of yourself. What isn't part of ourselves doesn't disturb us.

    Hermann HesseDemian, p. 92, 1919
    #hate#self-reflection#acceptance