“Wit is the appearance, the external flash of imagination. Thus its divinity, and the witty character of mysticism.”

—  Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel

Aphorism 26, as translated in Dialogue on Poetry and Literary Aphorisms (1968), p. 151
Variant translation:
Wit is the appearance, the external flash, of fantasy. Hence its divinity and the similarity to the wit of mysticism.
As translated in The Early Political Writings of the German Romantics (1996) edited by Frederick C. Beiser, p. 131

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Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel photo
Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel 67
German poet, critic and scholar 1772–1829

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