“He was seized by that desire for conquest, that thirst for the power of knowledge, which every servant of the mind—however humble his subsequent work—has felt at least once, and were it only for a single short-lived hour. Which of us, so placed by a kindly fate that he can take thought for the development of his mind—which of us has not looked out over the mighty sea of knowledge with eyes of enthusiasm, and who, attracted to its clear, cool water, has not begun with the credulous arrogance of youth, to bale it out in the hollow of his hand, like the child in the story? If you remember, the sun might smile upon the fair summer land, you saw neither flower, nor cloud, nor stream; life’s festivals might all sweep past, they awakened no dreams in your young blood; even your home was strange to you—do you remember? And then, do you remember how the idea assumed definite form and rose before your mind from the yellow pages of the books, self-contained as a work of art—it was yours in every detail and your spirit leavened the whole. When the slender columns rose into the air, displaying their conscious strength and powerful curves, this proud strength was yours, yours, too, this bold upward sweep of form. And when the vault appeared to float—its whole burden amassed, drawn from each separate stone, and confidently let down in mighty drops of weight upon the necks of the columns—this dream of weightless suspension was your own, for the confidence with which the vault sank—was it not you, you who set foot upon your own possession? Yes, thus it is, thus our nature grows with our knowledge and is molded and purified by it. It is as beautiful to learn as to live. Do not be afraid of losing yourself in minds greater than your own! Do not sit and brood uneasily over the peculiarities of your soul, or shut yourself off from powerful influences for fear they may carry you away and drown your treasured individuality in their mighty flood! Be assured, the characteristic that is lost in the arrangement and remodeling of a vigorous development is only a blemish, a shoot that has sprung up in the dark and is original only as long as it is sick and pale from want of light. And you must live by what is sound and healthy within you, for only what is healthy becomes great.”
JP Jacobsen, Niels Lyhne

Notes

  1. coincident posted this