“Thank you for the kind invitation to come to Rome, but I freely confess that my mind has never aspired in that direction. However, now, as I leaf through some of Herr Faber’s sketchbooks, I have almost changed my mind. I could quite nicely imagine traveling to Rome and living there. But the thought of then returning to the North, I could not contemplate it without a shudder; in my view, that would be as much as burying oneself alive. I am content to stand still, without complaint, if fate so wills it; but going backwards is contrary to my nature, my whole being is against it. I have been idle for a while and felt quite incapable of doing anything. Nothing wanted to flow from within me; the well had run dry, I was empty; nothing from the outside wanted to engage me, I was dull. So I thought it best to do nothing. After all, what good is work in the end if nothing comes of it? The seed must lie in the ground for a long time if one is to expect anything from the harvest.”
– Friedrich to Johann Ludvig Lund