“If thou canst not give pleasure to all by thy deeds and thy knowledge
Give it then, unto the few; many to please is but in vain.”

— Friedrich Schiller

Kannst du nicht allen gefallen durch deine That und dein Kunstwerk, // Mach es wenigen recht, vielen gefallen ist schlimm.
Tabulae Votivae (Votive Tablets) (1796), "Choice"; tr. Edgar Alfred Bowring, The Poems of Schiller, Complete (1851)

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Friedrich Schiller 111

German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright 1759–1805

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“If thou canst not give pleasure to all by thy deeds and thy knowledgeGive it then, unto the few; many to please is but in vain.”

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Friedrich Schiller 111

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“If thou canst not give pleasure to all by thy deeds and thy knowledge
Give it then, unto the few; many to please is but in vain.”