--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: (Heinrich von) Kleist would not be a…" description: "\"(Heinrich von) Kleist would not be a Prussian if his first thought would not have been orderlinessand he would not be a German if he had not placed all..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38d/stefan-zweig-811_book_heinrich-von-kleist-would-not-be-a-pruss_1824828.jpg" --- # (Heinrich von) Kleist would not be a Prussian if his first… ![“(Heinrich von) Kleist would not be a Prussian if his first thought would not have been orderlinessand he would not be a German if he had not placed all his hopes of developing this inner orderliness into education. Education is the secret of life for him as for every German: studying, learning a…” quote by Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38d/stefan-zweig-811_book_heinrich-von-kleist-would-not-be-a-pruss_1824828.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38d/stefan-zweig-811_book_heinrich-von-kleist-would-not-be-a-pruss_1824828.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38d/stefan-zweig-811_book_heinrich-von-kleist-would-not-be-a-pruss_1824828.jpg) > “(Heinrich von) Kleist would not be a Prussian if his first thought would not have been orderlinessand he would not be a German if he had not placed all his hopes of developing this inner orderliness into education. Education is the secret of life for him as for every German: studying, learning a lot from books, sitting in lectures, keeping notebooks, listening intently to professors.” [Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Kleist valued order and education as essential to German identity, believing structured learning shapes life. **In simple terms:** Order and learning are central to identity. Key Takeaway Cultivate disciplined study habits. Themes education order identity culture Mood reflective analytical Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - academic pursuits - career advancement - personal growth - cultural integration Key Concepts Germanism personal development intellectualism Questions to Reflect On - How does structured learning influence personal identity? - Can order coexist with creative freedom? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on order can stifle creativity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Developing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/developing/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Kleist Prussian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kleist-prussian-2225130/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Lectures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lectures/) [Listening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/listening/) [Notebook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notebook/) [Orderliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orderliness/) [Orderlinessand German](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orderlinessand-german-2225134/) [Professors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/professors/) [Prussian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prussian-2225133/) [Prussian Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prussian-thought-2225131/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Secret life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret-life/) [Secret Of Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret-of-life/) [Sitting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sitting/) [Study](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/study/) [Von Kleist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/von-kleist-2225132/) ## Related quotes > [ “Eventually sinking into despair, \[Heinrich von Kleist\] shot himself in 1811 as part of a suicide pact made with a woman suffering from incurable cancer.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-tucker/eventually-sinking-into-despair-heinrich-von-kleist-shot-himself-in/) [Nicholas Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-tucker/) > [“Of the two classes of Prussian officer, the bull-necked and the wasp-waisted, he belonged to the second. Monocled and effete in appearance, cold and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/of-the-two-classes-of-prussian-officer-the-bull-necked-and-the-wasp/) [Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/) > [The southern German has the imagination and emotionality to subscribe to a fanatic ideology, but he is ordinarily inhibited from excesses by his natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-seyss-inquart/the-southern-german-has-the-imagination-and-emotionality-to-subscribe/) [Arthur Seyss-Inquart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-seyss-inquart/) > [Prussian Field Marshals do not mutiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-von-manstein/prussian-field-marshals-do-not-mutiny/) [Erich von Manstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-von-manstein/) > [Where some states possess an army, the Prussian Army possesses a state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/where-some-states-possess-an-army-the-prussian-army-possesses-a-state/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [“The Prussian monarchy is not a country which has an army, but an army which has a country in which – as it were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-henrich-von-berenhorst/the-prussian-monarchy-is-not-a-country-which-has-an-army-but-an-army/) [Georg Henrich Von Berenhorst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-henrich-von-berenhorst/) > [“Rundstedt, revered throughout the German regular officer corps as its last archetypal Prussian, refused to deal with detail or to look at small-scale maps,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keegan/rundstedt-revered-throughout-the-german-regular-officer-corps-as-its/) [John Keegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keegan/) > [The Prussian Academy of Sciences is a fast-track academic institute that requires a proactive, hands-on-type individual to overthrow the Newtonian conception of the universe.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-prussian-academy-of-sciences-is-a-fast-track-academic-institute/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The people from the suburbs are bringing along their suburban values: cleanliness, orderliness, safety - dullness, in other words. As a result, urban areas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/the-people-from-the-suburbs-are-bringing-along-their-suburban-values/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [Rhythm, symmetry, and a happy combination of elegance and utility - a blend often desired in later days of hope and struggle - these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-luise-gothein/rhythm-symmetry-and-a-happy-combination-of-elegance-and-utility-a/) [Marie-Luise Gothein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-luise-gothein/) > [But it seems to me equally obvious that the orderliness is not all-pervasive. There are streaks of order to be found among the chaos,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-david-ritchie/but-it-seems-to-me-equally-obvious-that-the-orderliness-is-not-all/) [Arthur David Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-david-ritchie/) > [Not only is orderliness an economy; it produces rest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-foote-macdougall/not-only-is-orderliness-an-economy-it-produces-rest/) [Alice Foote MacDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-foote-macdougall/) > [A company is a multidimensional system capable of growth, expansion, and self-regulation. It is, therefore, not a thing but a set of interacting forces.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-low/a-company-is-a-multidimensional-system-capable-of-growth-expansion/) [Albert Low](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-low/) > [The rehabilitation of order as a universal principle, however, suggested at the same time that orderliness by itself is not sufficient to account for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-arnheim/the-rehabilitation-of-order-as-a-universal-principle-however/) [Rudolf Arnheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-arnheim/) > [Order is the sanity of the mind, the health of the body, the peace of the city, the security of the state. As the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/order-is-the-sanity-of-the-mind-the-health-of-the-body-the-peace-of/) [Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/) ## More by Stefan Zweig > [“Madness,” he exclaimed to himself, in astonishment, faltering. “Madness! What do they want? Once again, once again!” War once again, war that had so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/madness-he-exclaimed-to-himself-in-astonishment-faltering-madness/) [Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/) > [It is never until one realizes that one means something to others that one feels there is any point or purpose in one's own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/it-is-never-until-one-realizes-that-one-means-something-to-others/) [Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/) > [“And if I am asked today to advise a young writer who has not yet made up his mind what way to go, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/and-if-i-am-asked-today-to-advise-a-young-writer-who-has-not-yet-made/) [Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/) > [“Live and let live” was the famous Viennese motto, which today still seems to me to be more humane than all the categorical imperatives,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/live-and-let-live-was-the-famous-viennese-motto-which-today-still/) [Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/) > [“Değerli olan her zaman için gerçeğin yarısı değil, tamamıdır.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/de-erli-olan-her-zaman-i-in-ger-e-in-yar-s-de-il-tamam-d-r/) [Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/) > [One never gets to know a person's character better than by watching his behavior during decisive moments… It is always only danger which forces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/one-never-gets-to-know-a-person-s-character-better-than-by-watching/) [Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/) > [Names have a mysterious transforming power. Like a ring on a finger, a name may at first seem merely accidental, committing you to nothing;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/names-have-a-mysterious-transforming-power-like-a-ring-on-a-finger-a/) [Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/) > [There is no sense to a sacrifice after you come to feel that it is a sacrifice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/there-is-no-sense-to-a-sacrifice-after-you-come-to-feel-that-it-is-a/) [Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/) > [No guilt is forgotten so long as the conscience still knows of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/no-guilt-is-forgotten-so-long-as-the-conscience-still-knows-of-it/) [Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/) > [Nothing that has ever been thought and said with a clear mind and pure ethical strength is totally in vain; even if it comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/nothing-that-has-ever-been-thought-and-said-with-a-clear-mind-and/) [Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/) > [It is the way of youth that each fresh piece of knowledge of life should go to its head, and that once uplifted by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/it-is-the-way-of-youth-that-each-fresh-piece-of-knowledge-of-life/) [Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/) > [“The truths that he finds may in the coming months or even the coming years be truths no more. He must be forever searching.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/the-truths-that-he-finds-may-in-the-coming-months-or-even-the-coming/) [Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/) > [The union of opposites, in so far as they are really complementary, always results in the most perfect harmony; and the seemingly incongruous is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/the-union-of-opposites-in-so-far-as-they-are-really-complementary/) [Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/) > [The sight of a wedding always has a disturbing effect on young girls; at such moments a mysterious sense of solidarity with their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/the-sight-of-a-wedding-always-has-a-disturbing-effect-on-young-girls/) [Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/) > [“Lightly, caressingly, Marie Antoinette picked up the crown as a gift. She was still too young to know that life never gives anything for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/lightly-caressingly-marie-antoinette-picked-up-the-crown-as-a-gift-2/) [Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/) [Explore all 267 Stefan Zweig quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "(Heinrich von) Kleist would not be a Prussian if his first thought would not have been orderlinessand he would not be a German if he had not placed all his hopes of developing this inner orderliness into education. Education is the secret of life for him as for every German: studying, learning a lot from books, sitting in lectures, keeping notebooks, listening intently to professors.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stefan Zweig" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/heinrich-von-kleist-would-not-be-a-prussian-if-his-first-thought/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/heinrich-von-kleist-would-not-be-a-prussian-if-his-first-thought/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38d/stefan-zweig-811_book_heinrich-von-kleist-would-not-be-a-pruss_1824828.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38d/stefan-zweig-811_book_heinrich-von-kleist-would-not-be-a-pruss_1824828.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38d/stefan-zweig-811_book_heinrich-von-kleist-would-not-be-a-pruss_1824828.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“(Heinrich von) Kleist would not be a Prussian if his first thought would not have been orderlinessand he…” — Stefan Zweig", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Stefan Zweig", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "(Heinrich von) Kleist would not be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/heinrich-von-kleist-would-not-be-a-prussian-if-his-first-thought/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/heinrich-von-kleist-would-not-be-a-prussian-if-his-first-thought/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```