Consciousness makes the individual careful to maintain his own existence; and if this were not so, there would be no surety for the preservation of the species. From all this it is clear that individuality is not a form of perfection, but rather a limitation; and so to be freed from it is not loss but gain.

Arthur Schopenhauer

Categorized in : Loss Perfection Individuality

Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see.

Arthur Schopenhauer

beautiful inspirational life

The majority of men... are not capable of thinking, but only of believing, and... are not accessible to reason, but only to authority.

Arthur Schopenhauer

men believe thinking

It is difficult to find happiness within oneself, but it is impossible to find it anywhere else.

Arthur Schopenhauer

finding-happiness difficult impossible

A man can be himself only so long as he is alone; and if he does not love solitude, he will not love freedom; for it is only when he is alone that he is really free.

Arthur Schopenhauer

being-yourself freedom inspirational

All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.

Arthur Schopenhauer

truth witty inspirational

Every miserable fool who has nothing at all of which he can be proud, adopts as a last resource pride in the nation to which he belongs; he is ready and happy to defend all its faults and follies tooth and nail, thus reimbursing himself for his own inferiority.

Arthur Schopenhauer

teeth pride racism

A pessimist is an optimist in full possession of the facts.

Arthur Schopenhauer

pessimist optimist facts

Consider the Koran... this wretched book was sufficient to start a world-religion, to satisfy the metaphysical need of countless millions for twelve hundred years, to become the basis of their morality and of a remarkable contempt for death, and also to inspire them to bloody wars and the most extensive conquests. In this book we find the saddest and poorest form of theism. Much may be lost in translation, but I have not been able to discover in it one single idea of value.

Arthur Schopenhauer

war book years

Man is the only animal who causes pain to others with no other object than wanting to do so.

Arthur Schopenhauer

pain animal war

There is something in us that is wiser than our head.

Arthur Schopenhauer

wiser

The person who writes for fools is always sure of a large audience.

Arthur Schopenhauer

humor writing funny

The real meaning of persona is a mask, such as actors were accustomed to wear on the ancient stage; and it is quite true that no one shows himself as he is, but wears his mask and plays his part. Indeed, the whole of our social arrangements may be likened to a perpetual comedy; and this is why a man who is worth anything finds society so insipid, while a blockhead is quite at home in it.

Arthur Schopenhauer

real home men

Genius and madness have something in common: both live in a world that is different from that which exists for everyone else.

Arthur Schopenhauer

genius different world

Compassion for animals is intimately associated with goodness of character, and it may be confidently asserted that he who is cruel to animals cannot be a good man.

Arthur Schopenhauer

animal character men

If anyone spends almost the whole day in reading...he gradually loses the capacity for thinking...This is the case with many learned persons; they have read themselves stupid

Arthur Schopenhauer

reading stupid thinking

A man of genius can hardly be sociable, for what dialogues could indeed be so intelligent and entertaining as his own monologues?

Arthur Schopenhauer

genius intelligent men

A sense of humour is the only divine quality of man

Arthur Schopenhauer

funny-life god men

The greatest of follies is to sacrifice health for any other kind of happiness.

Arthur Schopenhauer

philosophical inspiration happy

To feel envy is human, to savour schadenfreude is devilish

Arthur Schopenhauer

savour envy feels

Happiness belongs to those who are sufficient unto themselves. For all external sources of happiness and pleasure are, by their very nature, highly uncertain, precarious, ephemeral and subject to chance.

Arthur Schopenhauer

ephemeral self inspirational