Most men are so thoroughly subjective that nothing really interests them but themselves. Arthur Schopenhauer More Quotes by Arthur Schopenhauer More Quotes From Arthur Schopenhauer Genuine contempt, on the other hand, is the unsullied conviction of the worthlessness of another. Arthur Schopenhauer genuine conviction hands All our wanting comes from needs, thus we continiously suffer. The intellect teaches free will, free from suffering. Arthur Schopenhauer free-will suffering needs In the blessings as well as in the ills of life, less depends upon what befalls us than upon the way in which it is met. Arthur Schopenhauer gratitude blessing way Motives are causes experienced from within. Arthur Schopenhauer motive causes Every woman while she would be ready to die of shame if surprised in the act of generation, nonetheless carries her pregnancy without a trace of shame and indeed with a kind of pride. The reason is that pregnancy is in a certain sense a cancellation of the guilt incurred by coitus; thus coitus bears all the shame and disgrace of the affair, while pregnancy, which is so intimately associated with it, stays pure and innocent and is indeed to some extent sacred. Arthur Schopenhauer guilt pride pregnancy In truth the most striking figure for the relation of the two is that of the strong blind man carrying the sighted lame man on his shoulders. Arthur Schopenhauer strong men two Talent is able to achieve what is beyond other people's capacity to achieve, yet not what is beyond their capacity of apprehension; therefore it at once finds its appreciators. The achievement of genius, on the other hand, transcends not only others' capacity of achievement, but also their capacity of apprehension; therefore they do not become immediately aware of it. Talent is like the marksman who hits a target which others cannot reach; genius is like the marksman who hits a target, as far as which others cannot even see. Arthur Schopenhauer achievement hands people A man may call to mind the face of his friend, but not his own. Here, then, is an initial difficulty in the way of applying the maxim, Know Thyself. Arthur Schopenhauer mind may men Many undoubtedly owe their good fortune to the circumstance that they possess a pleasing smile with which they win hearts. Yet these hearts would do better to beware and to learn from Hamlet's tables that one may smile, and smile, and be a villain. Arthur Schopenhauer winning heart may Malebranche teaches that we see all things in God himself. This is certainly equivalent to explaining something unknown by something even more unknown. Moreover, according to him, we see not only all things in God, but God is also the sole activity therein, so that physical causes are so only apparently; they are merely occasional causes. ( Recherches de la vérité , Livre VI, seconde partie, chap. 3.) And so here we have essentially the pantheism of Spinoza who appears to have learned more from Malebranche than from Descartes. Arthur Schopenhauer spinoza pantheism causes Not to go to the theater is like making one's toilet without a mirror. Arthur Schopenhauer toilets theater mirrors For, as you know, religions are like glow-worms; they shine only when it is dark. Arthur Schopenhauer worms shining dark The actual life of a thought lasts only until it reaches the point of speech...As soon as our thinking has found words it ceases to be sincere...When it begins to exist in others it ceases to live in us, just as the child severs itself from its mother when it enters into its own existence. Arthur Schopenhauer mother children thinking Authority and example lead the world. Arthur Schopenhauer authority example world The problem with Germans is that they look in the clouds for what lies at their feet. Arthur Schopenhauer feet clouds lying Every human perfection is linked to an error which it threatens to turn into Arthur Schopenhauer turns errors perfection To repeat abstractly, universally, and distinctly in concepts the whole inner nature of the world , and thus to deposit it as a reflected image in permanent concepts always ready for the faculty of reason , this and nothing else is philosophy. Arthur Schopenhauer reason philosophy world As my own father was sick, and miserably tied to his invalid's chair, he would have been abandoned had not an old servant performed for him a so-called service of love. My mother gave parties while he was perishing in solitude, and amused herself while he was suffering bitter agonies Arthur Schopenhauer party mother father A great affliction of all Philistines is that idealities afford them no entertainment, but to escape from boredom they are always in need of realities. Arthur Schopenhauer boredom reality needs the brut first knows death when it dies, but man draws consciously nearer to it every hour that he lives; and this makes his life at times a questionable good even to him who has not recognised this character of constant anaihilation in the whole of life. Arthur Schopenhauer character men firsts