A German philosopher who was deeply influenced by the ideas of the German Dominican theologian, mystic, and eclectic philosopher Meister Eckhart,
the German mystic and theosophist Jakob Boehme, and other great scholars of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment.
He is most famous for his work The World as Will and Representation. He is commonly known for having espoused a sort of philosophical pessimism
that saw life as being essentially evil and futile.
He was also influenced by Eastern thought, so he saw hope in aesthetics, sympathy for others and ascetic living. His ideas profoundly
influenced the fields of philosophy, psychology, and literature.
(1788-1860)
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
A man can be himself only so long as he is alone.
~ Arthur Schopenhauer
Wealth is like sea-water; the more we drink, the thirstier we become; and the same is true of fame.
~ Arthur Schopenhauer
The doctor sees all the weakness of mankind; the lawyer all the wickedness, the theologian all the stupidity.
~ Arthur Schopenhauer
Wicked thoughts and worthless efforts gradually set their mark on the face, especially the eyes.
~ Arthur Schopenhauer
National character is only another name for the particular form which the littleness,
perversity and baseness of mankind take in every country. Every nation mocks at other nations, and all are right.
~ Arthur Schopenhauer
The wise have always said the same things, and fools, who are the majority have always done just the opposite.
~ Arthur Schopenhauer
For the incredibly great majority of men are by their nature absolutely incapable of any but material aims; they cannot even comprehend any others.
Accordingly, the
pursuit of truth alone is a pursuit far too lofty and eccentric for us to expect that all or many, or indeed even a mere few, will sincerely take part in it.
~ Arthur Schopenhauer
Suffering by nature or chance never seems so painful as suffering inflicted on us by the arbitrary will of another.
~ Arthur Schopenhauer
Will power is to the mind like a strong blind man who carries on his shoulders a lame man who can see.
~ Arthur Schopenhauer
The two enemies of human happiness are pain and boredom.
~ Arthur Schopenhauer
A man's face as a rule says more, and more interesting things,
than his mouth, for it is a compendium of everything his mouth will ever say, in that it is the monogram of all this man's thoughts and aspirations.
~ Arthur Schopenhauer
Journalists are like dogs, when ever anything moves they begin to bark.
~ Arthur Schopenhauer
The brain may be regarded as a kind of parasite of the organism, a pensioner, as it were, who dwells with the body.
~ Arthur Schopenhauer
The person who writes for fools is always sure of a large audience.
~ Arthur Schopenhauer
Buying books would be a good thing if one could also buy the
time to read them in: but as a rule the purchase of books is mistaken for the appropriation of their contents.
~ Arthur Schopenhauer
Fame is something that must be won. Honor is something that must not be lost.
~ Arthur Schopenhauer
The difficulty is to try and teach the multitude that something can be true and untrue at the same time.
~ Arthur Schopenhauer
The present is the only reality and the only certainty.
~ Arthur Schopenhauer
It is a clear gain to sacrifice pleasure in order to avoid pain.
~ Arthur Schopenhauer
Satisfaction consists in freedom from pain, which is the positive element of life.
~ Arthur Schopenhauer
Style is what gives value and currency to thoughts.
~ Arthur Schopenhauer
Natural abilities can almost compensate for the want of every kind of cultivation, but no cultivation of the mind can make up for the want of natural abilities.
~ Arthur Schopenhauer
English metaphysical poet, orator and clergyman. His poems are characterized by a precision of language, a metrical versatility,
and an ingenious use of imagery. Being born into an artistic and wealthy family, he received a good education which led to his holding
prominent positions at Cambridge University and Parliament. George Herbert's poetry has been set to music by several composers. He
also wrote poems in Latin and Greek.
(1593-1633)
Worldly fame is but a breath of wind that blows now this way, and now that, and changes name as it changes direction.
~ Dante Alighieri
Whatever evil befalls us, we ought to ask ourselves ... how we can turn it into good. So shall we take occasion, from one bitter root, to raise perhaps many flowers.
~ James Leigh Hunt
The secret of freedom lies in educating people, whereas the secret of tyranny is in keeping them ignorant.
~ Maximilien Robespierre
