A talent can be cultivated in tranquility; a character only in the rushing stream of life. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Character, Rushing, Talent. Every man must form himself as a particular being, seeking, however, to attain that general idea of which all mankind are constituents. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. 414 books. view quotes. Nov 30, 2007 03:25PM. Johann wolfgang von Goethe — ‘Beauty is a manifestation of secret natural laws, which otherwise would have been hidden from us forever.’. oOrvCK.