There are occasions ... when all consolation is base and it is a duty to despair.
• Bk. I, Ch. 18, R. J. Hollingdale, trans. (1971), p. 147
• Bk. I, Ch. 18, R. J. Hollingdale, trans. (1971), p. 147
“
Es gibt Fälle, ... wo jeder Trost niederträchtig und Verzweiflung Pflicht ist.
— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Es gibt Fälle, ... wo jeder Trost niederträchtig und Verzweiflung Pflicht ist." in the context of "There are occasions ... when all consolation is base and it is a duty to despair.
• Bk. I, Ch. 18, R. J. Hollingdale, trans. (1971), p. 147" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Johann Wolfgang von Goethe" (Quotes, Elective Affinities (1809))
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
About Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
What you can do, or dream you can, begin it,