Socrates inspired ever so many philosophers who believed as the Stoics did, partly under his influence, that happiness requires the subjugation of emotion and passion. To quote Nietzsche once more, Goethe could "dare to afford the whole range and wealth of being natural, being strong enough for such freedom" because he knew "how to use to his advantage even that from which the average nature would perish." To enjoy and explore the passions without becoming their slave, to employ them creatively instead of being either dominated by them or trying to resist them, was of the essence of Goethe's autonomy.
Goethe's style kept changing, but the changes were not gratuitous. He was no chameleon, no weather vane, and did not bow to fashion. His development gave every appearance of being organic, and his contemporaries witnessed it with their own eyes, with growing fascination.
Goether did not write to please others or to enhance his status, but to satisfy himself.
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