---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Art is long, life is short; judgement…"
description: "\"Art is long, life is short; judgement difficult, opportunity transient.\" — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fd/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe-36_art_art-is-long-life-is-short-judgement-diff_2147608.jpg"
---

#  Art is long, life is short; judgement difficult…

![“Art is long, life is short; judgement difficult, opportunity transient.” quote by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fd/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe-36_art_art-is-long-life-is-short-judgement-diff_2147608.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fd/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe-36_art_art-is-long-life-is-short-judgement-diff_2147608.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fd/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe-36_art_art-is-long-life-is-short-judgement-diff_2147608.jpg)

> “Art is long, life is short; judgement difficult, opportunity transient.”

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Life is fleeting, so we must act wisely, recognizing that judgment is hard and chances brief.

**In simple terms:** Life is short; act wisely.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize meaningful actions and decisions.

Themes

time mortality decision making

Mood

reflective urgent

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- career choices
- personal relationships
- creative pursuits
- risk taking

Key Concepts

ephemeral opportunity human limitation

Questions to Reflect On

- What fleeting you value most now?
- How do you balance caution with action?

A Different Perspective

It can cause anxiety about making perfect choices.

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[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Judgement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgement/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life is short](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is-short/) [Long life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-life/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/)

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> [“Life is short. Art long. Opportunity is fleeting. Expierience treacherous. Judgement difficult.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-chaucer/life-is-short-art-long-opportunity-is-fleeting-expierience/)

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[Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/)

> [“Art is long, life is short.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whoopi-goldberg/art-is-long-life-is-short/)

[Whoopi Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whoopi-goldberg/)

> [“Art is long, life is short. Unless your funding is f%$ked, in which case all our days are numbered.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whoopi-goldberg/art-is-long-life-is-short-unless-your-funding-is-f-ked-in-which-case/)

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> [Life is short, but its ills make it seem long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/publilius-syrus/life-is-short-but-its-ills-make-it-seem-long/)

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[Hippocrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hippocrates/)

> [“Art is long and life is short.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/art-is-long-and-life-is-short/)

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> [Art is long. Life is short. A picture can become for us a highway between a particular thing and a universal feeling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawren-harris/art-is-long-life-is-short-a-picture-can-become-for-us-a-highway/)

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## More by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

> [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/)

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> [I never believed in trying to do anything. Whatever I set out to do I found I had already accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/i-never-believed-in-trying-to-do-anything-whatever-i-set-out-to-do-i/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [All lyrical work must, as a whole, be perfectly intelligible, but in some particulars a little unintelligible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/all-lyrical-work-must-as-a-whole-be-perfectly-intelligible-but-in/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [We know accurately only when we know little, with knowledge doubt increases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/we-know-accurately-only-when-we-know-little-with-knowledge-doubt/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [It is easier to perceive error than to find truth, for the former lies on the surface and is easily seen, while the latter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/it-is-easier-to-perceive-error-than-to-find-truth-for-the-former-lies/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [There is no patriotic art and no patriotic science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/there-is-no-patriotic-art-and-no-patriotic-science/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [The connoisseur of art must be able to appreciate what is simply beautiful, but the common run of people is satisfied with ornament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/the-connoisseur-of-art-must-be-able-to-appreciate-what-is-simply/)

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> [Nothing is worse than active ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/nothing-is-worse-than-active-ignorance/)

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> [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/)

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