Arthur Schopenhauer
1788 – 1860
German philosopher known for his pessimistic worldview, who argued that the world is driven by an aimless will, and that art, compassion, and asceticism offer escape from suffering.
Key works: The World as Will and Representation · On the Basis of Morality · Parerga and Paralipomena
Top quotes by Arthur Schopenhauer
“The man who knows nothing, loses nothing in dying; but he certainly ceases to gain anything more.”
Read the full explanation →“We can respect only that which is strong; and man, as the weakest of all animals, respects only man.”
Read the full explanation →“Every possession and every person is but lent to us for a time; therefore, the wise man holds to everything lightly.”
Read the full explanation →“The world is a topsy-turvy place; and so am I, a topsy-turvy man, in it.”
Read the full explanation →“The first forty years of life give us the text; the next thirty supply the commentary on it.”
Read the full explanation →“Truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.”
Read the full explanation →“The difficult is that which can be done immediately; the impossible is that which takes a little longer.”
Read the full explanation →“Great men are like eagles, and build their nest on some lofty solitude.”
Read the full explanation →“The two enemies of human happiness are pain and boredom.”
Read the full explanation →“The first and most necessary of all virtues is justice.”
Read the full explanation →
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