Lessing, the memorial statue of Lessing in the center of Hamburg, was a writer, thinker, and critic with a wide range of backgrounds. As a leading representative of the German Enlightenment, he was a pioneer in thinking about the self-consciousness of citizens. His theoretical and critical works are distinguished by the often used comical, satirical style and accurate argumentation. The rhetorical style of the dialogue in his work is in line with his intention to always see things from different angles and to look for traces of truth in the arguments of his opponents. For him, truth is never something that can be grasped and immutable, but a process of constantly approaching it.

Lessing became interested in drama early on, and he strived to develop a new German civic drama, whether in his theoretical and critical articles with the theme of drama, or in the works he created as a writer. He opposed the literary theories of the dominant Gottshead and his disciples. He was particularly critical of imitating French drama as a role model, and he supported reflection on the principles of Aristotle's classicism and drawing on Shakespeare's works. Lessing was the first person to establish a Shakespeare Commentary in Germany. He works with many theater groups.

In Hamburg, Lessing tried with others to build a German National Theater (until 1769). His works are now regarded as models for the later development of German civic drama. "Miss Sarah Samson" and "Emilia Galotti" are regarded as the earliest civil tragedies, and "Minna von Barnheim" is a model for many classical German dramas. "Nadan the Wise" is the first conceptual drama to discuss the world outlook. His theoretical works "Laocoon" and "Hamburg Drama Review" set standards for discussing the principles of aesthetic and literary theory.

In his work on religious philosophy, Lessing defended the freedom of thought of devout Christians. He opposed belief in divine revelation and full adherence to the Bible through the dominant conservative academic viewpoint. Contrary to conservative viewpoints, as a child of the Enlightenment, he believed in a "rational Christianity" that could direct itself to the spiritual essence of faith. He believed that human reason (motivated by criticism and dissent) could develop without divine revelation. To provoke a public debate about "complete dependence on faith," Lessing published seven Unsigned Pieces between 1774 and 1778, which led to what he called "fragmentary debates." Lessing's main opponent in this controversy was Goetze, the Bishop of Hamburg, against which he wrote several articles, including 11 copies of "Against Goetze".

In addition, Lessing also participated in many debates with the spokespeople of the dominant academic viewpoint, supporting tolerance of other world religions. He also expressed his views in the form of plays (in "Nathan the Wise Man"), because his later theoretical works were banned from publication. In "On the Education of Man", he expressed his views systematically.

The spirit of freedom (opposition to the exemplary dominance of French drama in terms of drama and the dogma of the Church in terms of religion) was the main thread throughout Lessing's life. As a result, he participated in the liberation of the enterprising civil class from aristocratic control. As a writer, he has always pursued non-dependence on others, but his ideal of living a free writer's life is difficult to realize due to economic conditions.