Page:Novalis Schriften - Volume 2.djvu/169

★ 159 ★ and at the same time their watchword, which makes this passion so dangerous and insurmountable. How wonderful it would be if the current king were truly convinced that this path is only that of a gambler's fleeting luck, which is determined by constantly changing factors, such as the imbecility of his fellow gamblers or their lack of skill and finesse. One learns to cheat by being cheated, and how soon do the tables turn and the master becomes a pupil of his pupil. Only a righteous man and a righteous state can create lasting happiness. Of what help is all wealth to me if it hinders me from getting fresh horses hastening one's journey through the world? Unselfish love in the heart and its watchword in the head, that is the sole eternal basis of all true inseparable relations, and what else is the relationship with the state than a marriage?

31. Like a father, a king must not show preference. He should not just have military companions and aides. Why not the civilian ones also? When he enlists his capable generals as aides, why doesn't he also enlist capable chairmen and ministers? Only from there, will he pull all the threads of government together. There alone, one learns to pay attention to the big picture of the state and its details. There is no better place for educating oneself for leadership positions than the cabinet, where the wisdom of the state is concentrated, where every matter is thoroughly processed, and where one can follow the course of business to its smallest artery. Here alone will that stunted spirit