The Novices of Sais Quotes

“No one strays farther from the goal than he who imagines that he already knows the strange realm, that he can explain its structure in few words and everywhere find the right path.”
― Novalis, The Novices of Sais

“The punctilious description of this inner world history is the true theory of Nature. Through the inter-coherence of his own world of thought and its harmony with the universe, a system of thought arises spontaneously as the true image and formula of the Universe. But the art of peaceful Meditation, of generative cosmic speculation is difficult. The undertaking is furthered by incessant reflection, by a severe austerity, and its satisfaction will be not the applause of contemporaries who shrink from fatigue, but only the joy of knowledge and growth, an inner rhythm with the Universe.”
― Novalis, The Novices of Sais

“If unfulfilled desire yearns for infinite heights, happy love likes to sink into bottomless depths.”
― Novalis, The Novices of Sais

“When the Thinker, said a third, treads the strenuous path as Adept, and seeks by a skilful application of his spiritual activities to reduce the Sum of Things to a simple enigmatic Figure, one might say 'Nature dances,' and when he describes in words the curves of her movements the Lover of Nature must admire this audacious undertaking, and rejoice too at the success of this human enterprise. The Adept reasonably esteems action highly. His existence is Action and Production by Knowledge and Will, and his Art consists in applying his tools to everything, in representing the world in his fashion. Hence the principle of his world is Action, and his world is his Art.”
― Novalis, The Novices of Sais

“To understand Nature we must let Nature evolve herself to the fullest in us. For this enterprise we must make up our mind to be determined solely by divine aspirations towards beings that resemble us, and to distinguish their essential characteristics. For verily all Nature is only comprehensible as the instrument and medium of the intelligence of a reasonable Being.”
― Novalis, The Novices of Sais

“Men travel by many different paths. Whoever tracks and compares their ways will see wonderful figures arising; figures that seem to belong to the great Manuscript of Design which we descry everywhere, [...]

From afar I heard one say: "Unintelligibility originates in Unintelligence. This seeks what it already has, and therefore attains to nothing further. Speech is not understood, because speech does not understand itself, and will not be understood. Genuine Sanscrit speaks for the sake of speaking, because speech is its pleasure and its essence."

Not long after this another said: "Holy Writ needs no commentary. Whoso speaks truly is full of everlasting life, and his Evangel seems to us wonderfully linked with Genuine Secrets, for it is a harmony out of the Universal Symphony."

The Voice must certainly have spoken of our Master, for he knows how to collect the indications that are scattered on all sides.”
― Novalis, The Novices of Sais