I have often pondered how wise Goethe's sayings are in his discussions with Eckermann. However, I have also often contemplated how many equally wise sayings I have heard in my life, in conversations with people who, although intelligent, would struggle to compete with Goethe.

Yet ideas are also commonplace, even brilliant ideas. The world is suffocatingly full of everyday geniuses. Only when the everyday becomes universal, through a strong dedication to universality, through a depth of understanding that can lead to consequences and conclusions, is the right to enter the palaces of the future attained.