---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For five hundred years after Walther's…"
description: "\"For five hundred years after Walther's death - until Goethe - no German lyric poet was his equal.\" — Walther von der Vogelweide"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/186/walther-von-der-vogelweide-622_equal_for-five-hundred-years-after-walther-s-d_2515971.jpg"
---

#  For five hundred years after Walther's death - until…

![“For five hundred years after Walther's death - until Goethe - no German lyric poet was his equal.” quote by Walther von der Vogelweide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/186/walther-von-der-vogelweide-622_equal_for-five-hundred-years-after-walther-s-d_2515971.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/186/walther-von-der-vogelweide-622_equal_for-five-hundred-years-after-walther-s-d_2515971.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/186/walther-von-der-vogelweide-622_equal_for-five-hundred-years-after-walther-s-d_2515971.jpg)

> “For five hundred years after Walther's death - until Goethe - no German lyric poet was his equal.”

[Walther von der Vogelweide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walther-von-der-vogelweide/)

## About This Quote

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

His poetic influence remained unmatched for five centuries until Goethe emerged

**In simple terms:** He was the benchmark for German lyric poetry for 500 years

Key Takeaway

Recognize lasting impact of pioneering artists

Themes

literary legacy influence German poetry

Mood

reflective admiring

Type

historical literary

When to use this quote

- academic study
- literary criticism
- poetry anthologies
- teaching German literature

Key Concepts

medieval lyric cultural benchmark

Questions to Reflect On

- How does a single poet shape a nation's literary identity?
- What factors sustain a poet's dominance over centuries?

A Different Perspective

Later poets may have different styles, not direct equality

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Death Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death-goethe-1202338/) [Equal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equal/) [Five](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five/) [German Lyric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/german-lyric-1202340/) [Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goethe/) [Goethe German](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goethe-german-1202341/) [Hundred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hundred/) [Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Walther Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walther-death-1202339/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/)

## Related quotes

> [“Goethe, the great nineteenth-century thinker, reportedly summed up, “You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sinek/goethe-the-great-nineteenth-century-thinker-reportedly-summed-up-you/)

[Simon Sinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sinek/)

> [Ask Jeeves! Who ever used that thing? College freshmen to find out who Goethe was - that's it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/ask-jeeves-who-ever-used-that-thing-college-freshmen-to-find-out-who/)

[Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/)

> [Goethe said there would be little left of him if he were to discard what he owed to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-saunders-cushman/goethe-said-there-would-be-little-left-of-him-if-he-were-to-discard/)

[Charlotte Saunders Cushman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-saunders-cushman/)

> [“Treat others as if they were what they ought to be and you will help them become what they are capable of becoming.” Goethe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-moore/treat-others-as-if-they-were-what-they-ought-to-be-and-you-will-help/)

[Mike Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-moore/)

> [“Lo que habéis heredado de vuestros padres, volvedlo a ganar a pulso o no será vuestro”, dice Goethe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-alicia-chavez/lo-que-hab-is-heredado-de-vuestros-padres-volvedlo-a-ganar-a-pulso-o/)

[Martha Alicia Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-alicia-chavez/)

> [What am I then...? Everything that I have seen, heard, and observed I have collected and exploited. My works have been nourished by countless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/what-am-i-then-everything-that-i-have-seen-heard-and-observed-i-have/)

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

> [“Goethe had long since remarked that nationalistic feelings ‘are at their strongest and most violent where there is the lowest degree of culture’.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/goethe-had-long-since-remarked-that-nationalistic-feelings-are-at/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [“do you know the land where the lemon-trees blossom;where the golden oranges glow in the dark foliage''.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maeve-binchy/do-you-know-the-land-where-the-lemon-trees-blossom-where-the-golden/)

[Maeve Binchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maeve-binchy/)

> [“Sometimes when reading Goethe I have a paralyzing suspicion that he is trying to be funny.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-davenport/sometimes-when-reading-goethe-i-have-a-paralyzing-suspicion-that-he/)

[Guy Davenport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-davenport/)

> [“It was the period in Germany of Goethe’s highest fame. Notwithstanding his rather condescending attitude towards patriotism he had been adopted as the national…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/it-was-the-period-in-germany-of-goethe-s-highest-fame-notwithstanding/)

[William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/)

> [“We should talk less and draw more. (Goethe)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huxley-aldous-2/we-should-talk-less-and-draw-more-goethe/)

[Huxley Aldous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huxley-aldous-2/)

> [Goethe tells us in his greatest poem that Faust lost the liberty of his soul when he said to the passing moment, 'Stay, thou…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/goethe-tells-us-in-his-greatest-poem-that-faust-lost-the-liberty-of/)

[Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/)

> [“Night knew no bounds. Goethe, on a moonlit evening in Naples, was “overwhelmed by a feeling of infinite space.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-roger-ekirch/night-knew-no-bounds-goethe-on-a-moonlit-evening-in-naples-was/)

[A. Roger Ekirch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-roger-ekirch/)

> [“Someone once told me people write down stories because they would like to forget, and those who read are those who would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zelazny/someone-once-told-me-people-write-down-stories-because-they-would/)

[John Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zelazny/)

> [I know very well what Goethe meant when he said that he never had a chagrin but he made a poem out of it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-know-very-well-what-goethe-meant-when-he-said-that-he-never-had-a/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

## More by Walther von der Vogelweide

> [The mouthpiece of the half-inarticulate, all-suggesting music that is at once the very soul and the inseparable garment of romance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walther-von-der-vogelweide/the-mouthpiece-of-the-half-inarticulate-all-suggesting-music-that-is/)

[Walther von der Vogelweide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walther-von-der-vogelweide/)

> [Winter has caused damage everywhere: meadow and forest are all grey, where before you heard many sounds. If I could see the girls play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walther-von-der-vogelweide/winter-has-caused-damage-everywhere-meadow-and-forest-are-all-grey/)

[Walther von der Vogelweide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walther-von-der-vogelweide/)

[Explore all 3 Walther von der Vogelweide quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walther-von-der-vogelweide/)

## More Equal quotes

> [For many, the call to be a Christian can seem demanding, even overwhelming. But we need not be afraid or feel inadequate. The Savior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-hales/for-many-the-call-to-be-a-christian-can-seem-demanding-even/)

[Robert D. Hales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-hales/)

> [Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillips-brooks/do-not-pray-for-tasks-equal-to-your-powers-pray-for-powers-equal-to/)

[Phillips Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillips-brooks/)

> [I do conscientiously and sincerely believe that the Order of Freemasonry, if not the greatest, is one of the greatest moral and political evils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/i-do-conscientiously-and-sincerely-believe-that-the-order-of/)

[John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/)

> [This, at last, was where things were as they ought to be. Everything was in its place -- the tree, the earth underneath, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-liedloff/this-at-last-was-where-things-were-as-they-ought-to-be-everything-was/)

[Jean Liedloff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-liedloff/)

> [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/)

[Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/)

> [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [Friendship, "the wine of life," should, like a well-stocked cellar, be continually renewed; and it is consolatory to think, that although we can seldom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-boswell/friendship-the-wine-of-life-should-like-a-well-stocked-cellar-be/)

[James Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-boswell/)

> [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/)

[Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/)

> [Only to have a grief equal to all these tears!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/only-to-have-a-grief-equal-to-all-these-tears/)

[Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/)

> [My mom and dad had the relationship that I want, and they were teammates. They were always equal 50/50.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-kufrin/my-mom-and-dad-had-the-relationship-that-i-want-and-they-were/)

[Becca Kufrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-kufrin/)

> [Faith and unfaith can ne'er be equal powers; Unfaith is aught is want of faith in all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/faith-and-unfaith-can-ne-er-be-equal-powers-unfaith-is-aught-is-want/)

[Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/)

> [If it is true that there is always more than one way of construing a text, it is not true that all interpretations are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/if-it-is-true-that-there-is-always-more-than-one-way-of-construing-a/)

[Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/)

> [There is usually no dreamer so unworldly as the anthologist. He wanders in a vast garden, lost in wonder, unable to decide often between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-webb/there-is-usually-no-dreamer-so-unworldly-as-the-anthologist-he/)

[Mary Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-webb/)

> [I can tell you this. It is not going to be evenly constituted and when she was Speaker Pelosi, she certainly showed no interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trey-gowdy/i-can-tell-you-this-it-is-not-going-to-be-evenly-constituted-and-when/)

[Trey Gowdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trey-gowdy/)

> [It concerns me when people frame the conversation about equal pay about the entertainment business. I don't want the wage gap issue to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-arquette/it-concerns-me-when-people-frame-the-conversation-about-equal-pay/)

[Patricia Arquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-arquette/)

[Browse all 4,126 Equal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equal/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "For five hundred years after Walther's death - until Goethe - no German lyric poet was his equal.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Walther von der Vogelweide"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walther-von-der-vogelweide/for-five-hundred-years-after-walther-s-death-until-goethe-no-german/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Equal"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walther-von-der-vogelweide/for-five-hundred-years-after-walther-s-death-until-goethe-no-german/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/186/walther-von-der-vogelweide-622_equal_for-five-hundred-years-after-walther-s-d_2515971.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/186/walther-von-der-vogelweide-622_equal_for-five-hundred-years-after-walther-s-d_2515971.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/186/walther-von-der-vogelweide-622_equal_for-five-hundred-years-after-walther-s-d_2515971.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“For five hundred years after Walther's death - until Goethe - no German lyric poet was his equal.” — Walther von der Vogelweide",
                "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": "Walther von der Vogelweide",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walther-von-der-vogelweide/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "For five hundred years after Walther's...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walther-von-der-vogelweide/for-five-hundred-years-after-walther-s-death-until-goethe-no-german/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walther-von-der-vogelweide/for-five-hundred-years-after-walther-s-death-until-goethe-no-german/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
