How is it possible that suffering that is neither my own nor of my concern should immediately affect me as though it were my own, and with such force that is moves me to action? Arthur Schopenhauer More Quotes by Arthur Schopenhauer More Quotes From Arthur Schopenhauer The little incidents and accidents of every day fill us with emotion, anxiety, annoyance, passion, as long as they are close to us, when they appear so big, so important, so serious; but as soon as they are borne down the restless stream of time they lose what significance they had; we think no more of them and soon forget them altogether. They were big only because they were near. Arthur Schopenhauer passion long thinking A book can never be anything more than the impression of its author’s thoughts. The value of these thoughts lies either in the matter about which he has thought, or in the form in which he develops his matter — that is to say, what he has thought about it. Arthur Schopenhauer matter book lying It is a curious fact that in bad days we can very vividly recall the good time that is now no more; but that in good days, we have only a very cold and imperfect memory of the bad. Arthur Schopenhauer good-day bad-day memories People of Wealth and the so called upper class suffer the most from boredom. Arthur Schopenhauer boredom class people Ist es an und fu? r sich absurd, das Nichtsein fu? r einUbel zu ? halten; da jedes Ubel wie jedes Gut das Dasein zur Voraussetzung hat, ja sogar das Bewusstsein. It is in and by itself absurd to regard non-existence as an evil; for every evil, like every good, presupposes existence, indeed even consciousness. Arthur Schopenhauer hats consciousness evil There is in the world only the choice between loneliness and vulgarity. All young people should be taught now to put up with loneliness ... because the less man is compelled to come into contact with others, the better off he is. Arthur Schopenhauer loneliness men people Consciousness is the mere surface of our minds, of which, as of the earth, we do not know the inside, but only the crust. Arthur Schopenhauer earth mind life Honor has not to be won; it must only not be lost. Arthur Schopenhauer truth inspirational lying Reasonable and vicious are quite consistent with each other, in fact, only through their union are great and far-reaching crimes possible Arthur Schopenhauer unions quitting facts In early youth, as we contemplate our coming life, we are like children in a theatre before the curtain is raised, sitting there in high spirits and eagerly waiting for the play to begin. Arthur Schopenhauer waiting play children There is no absurdity so palpable but that it may be firmly planted in the human head if you only begin to inculcate it before the age of five, by constantly repeating it with an air of great solemnity. Arthur Schopenhauer educational air fear In order to increase his pleasures, man has intentionally added to the number and pressure of his needs, which in their original state were not much more difficult to satisfy than those of the brute. Hence luxury in all its forms; delicate food, the use of tobacco and opium, spirituous liquors, fine clothes, and the thousand and one things that he considers necessary to his existence. Arthur Schopenhauer clothes numbers men For whence did Dante take the materials for his hell but from this our actual world? And yet he made a very proper hell of it. Arthur Schopenhauer death-penalty hell world Something of great importance now past is inferior to something of little importance now present, in that the latter is a reality, and related to the former as something to nothing. Arthur Schopenhauer littles reality past The discovery of truth is prevented more effectively, not by the false appearance things present and which mislead into error, not directly by weakness of the reasoning powers, but by preconceived opinion, by prejudice. Arthur Schopenhauer errors power science All pantheism must ultimately be shipwrecked on the inescapable demands of ethics, and then on the evil and suffering of the world. If the world is a theophany , then everything done by man, and even by animal, is equally divine and excellent; nothing can be more censurable and nothing more praiseworthy than anything else; hence there is no ethics. Arthur Schopenhauer evil animal men Man shows his character best in trifles. Arthur Schopenhauer trifles character men The intellectual attainments of a man who thinks for himself resemble a fine painting, where the light and shade are correct, the tone sustained, the colour perfectly hamonized; it is true to life. Arthur Schopenhauer light men thinking With people of limited ability modesty is merely honesty. But with those who possess great talent it is hypocrisy. Arthur Schopenhauer honesty hypocrite inspirational In youth it is the outward aspect of things that most engages us; while in age, thought or reflection is the predominating qualityof the mind. Hence, youth is the time for poetry, and age is more inclined to philosophy. In practical affairs it is the same: a man shapes his resolutions in youth more by the impression that the outward world makes upon him; whereas, when he is old, it is thought that determines his actions. Arthur Schopenhauer reflection men philosophy
