What does this quote mean?

Progress is often slow and contentious, and Schopenhauer’s observation captures the turbulent journey of new ideas as they challenge established norms. The stages he outlines—ridicule, opposition, acceptance—reflect the natural resistance of human thinking to change, where unfamiliar truths are first dismissed as absurd, then fought against as threats, before finally settling into the fabric of common sense.

Schopenhauer, writing in the early 19th century, developed this insight during a time when his own philosophy faced widespread indifference or hostility. His major work, The World as Will and Representation, introduced a radical view of reality as driven by a blind, striving will, which clashed with the rationalist and idealist traditions dominant in German philosophy. His later essays in Parerga and Paralipomena often addressed the reception of ideas, drawing from his personal struggles for recognition. The period was marked by intellectual upheaval, and his cynicism about human reception of truth was shaped by his own marginalization in the academic world.

Today, this quote can guide modern advocates for peace or social reform. Consider how movements for equality or environmental action were once mocked as unrealistic, then met with fierce resistance, before gaining broad acceptance. Recognizing this pattern can sustain patience and resolve when facing skepticism or backlash. It reminds us that persistence is often the key to shifting collective consciousness, and that what seems radical today may one day be taken for granted as obvious.