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Concerning the film,
an evolving collection of words.

I remembered this, and it was a comforting and happy thought.
- Goethe, from "Elective Affinities"

Why do we remember the past but not the future?
- Stephen Hawking, from "A Brief History of Time"

The two were talking about an "Album of Love and Friendship" compiled by Schutze a few years earlier. Goethe had brought up the subject; standing there, with his legs apart and chin struck out, he praised it highly and said that the compilation was both varied and suggestive and declared that he had regularly drawn much entertainment and instruction from it. He suggest that Schutze's own humorous contributions should some time be published in a separate collection. The other, blushing and goggling still more, confessed that he had played sometimes with the idea himself and only doubted whether such a collection were worth while. Goethe, vigorously shaking his head, protested against the doubt; basing his view, however, not on the tales themselves, but on purely human, so to speak statutory, grounds. Things must be, he said, collected when the time came, the autumn of life; the harvest must be gathered and stored, the grain got under roof; otherwise one would not depart in peace, not having lived a right or pattern life. The only thing was to find a good title. His close-lying eyes roved about the ceiling - without much prospect of success, so Charlotte feared, for she had the clearest intuition that he was not acquainted with the tales. But now Herr Schutze betrayed how far his hesitating thoughts had carried him, for he had a name ready at hand: he had thought - just in case - to call the proposed book "Happy Hours". Goethe found that capital. He could not have thought of a better title himself. It was most pleasing, and not without dignity and elegance. It would appeal to the publisher, attract readers; and most important of all, it fitted the contents. That was as it should be.
- Thomas Mann, from "Lotte in Weimar"