“Man, whence is he?
Too bad to be the work of a god, too good for the work of chance.”

—  Gotthold Ephraim Lessing

Der Mensch, wo ist er her?
Zu schlecht für einen Gott, zu gut fürs Ungefähr.
As quoted in Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern English and Foreign Sources (1899) by James Wood, p. 61
Variant: Man — who is he? Too bad to be the work of God; Too good for the work of chance!

Original

Der Mensch, wo ist er her? Zu schlecht für einen Gott, zu gut fürs Ungefähr.

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update Oct. 1, 2023. History

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Gotthold Ephraim Lessing 18
writer, philosopher, publicist, and art critic 1729–1781

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