Philosophy of the Surface
"Will which resolves on nothing is not an actual will; the characterless man can never resolve on anything. The reason for such indecision may also lie in an over-refined sensibility which knows that, in determining something, it enters the realm of finitude, imposing a limit on itself and relinquishing infinity; yet it does not wish to renounce the totality to which it intends. Such a disposition is dead, even if its aspiration is to be beautiful. “Whoever aspires to great things,” says Goethe, “must be able to limit himself.” Only by making resolutions can the human being enter actuality, however painful the process may be; for inertia would rather not emerge from that inward brooding in which it reserves a universal possibility for itself. But possibility is not yet actuality. The will which is sure of itself does not therefore lose itself in what it determines."
— Hegel, Philosophy of Right.
Courtesy of a very smart guy at Cornell. I’m pretty sure I spent 48+ hours walking around Berlin replaying JUST this quote in my head.
(via publicatiosui)
I am not sure if I should credit my own intelligence or my major in philosophy as the reason why I can actually understand this.
(via itslef)