The chief thing is to have a soul that loves the truth and harbors it where it finds it. And another thing: the truth requires constant repetition, because error is being preached about us all the time, and not only by isolated individuals but by the 

Leon Kelly, The chief thing is to have a soul that loves the truth and harbors it where it finds it. And another thing: the truth requires constant repetition, because error is being preached about us all the time, and not only by isolated individuals but by the masses. In newspapers and encyclopedias, in schools and universities, everywhere error rides high and basks in the consciousness of having the majority on its side.--Goethe on truth and error, Conversations with Eckermann, 1828. From the series Great Ideas., 1951, photomechanical reproduction, plastic, and paper on paper mounted on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Container Corporation of America, 1984.124.143
Copied Leon Kelly, The chief thing is to have a soul that loves the truth and harbors it where it finds it. And another thing: the truth requires constant repetition, because error is being preached about us all the time, and not only by isolated individuals but by the , 1951, photomechanical reproduction, plastic, and paper on paper mounted on paperboard, sheet: 25 1⁄8 x 20 in. (63.8 x 51.0 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Container Corporation of America, 1984.124.143

Artwork Details

Title
The chief thing is to have a soul that loves the truth and harbors it where it finds it. And another thing: the truth requires constant repetition, because error is being preached about us all the time, and not only by isolated individuals but by the masses. In newspapers and encyclopedias, in schools and universities, everywhere error rides high and basks in the consciousness of having the majority on its side. – Goethe on truth and error, Conversations with Eckermann, 1828. From the series Great Ideas.
Artist
Date
1951
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sheet: 25 1⁄8 x 20 in. (63.8 x 51.0 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Container Corporation of America
Mediums
Mediums Description
photomechanical reproduction, plastic, and paper on paper mounted on paperboard
Keywords
  • Figure group — male
  • Animal — reptile — snake
  • Still life — other — torch
  • Portrait male — Goethe, Johann Wolfgang Von — bust
  • Allegory — quality — truth
Object Number
1984.124.143
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1984.124.143