A man finds himself, to his great astonishment, suddenly existing, after thousands and thousands of years of non-existence: he lives for a little while; and then, again, comes an equally long period when he must exist no more. The heart rebels against this, and feels that it cannot be true.
Arthur Schopenhauer
Existence, Astonishment, Mortality, Human Condition, Philosophical Reflection
Arthur Schopenhauer’s Quotes On Topics
Pleasure Vs Pain | Inspiration | Literary Types | Social Critique | Learning | Coping Strategies | Intellectual Life | Wisdom | Self-loss | Writers | Value Of Time | Discovery | Scoundrels | Incongruity | Life Stages | Mystery | Depth | Masks | Individualism | Interpersonal Relationships | More
More Arthur Schopenhauer Quotes
“Newspapers are the second hand of history.” Arthur Schopenhauer
Newspapers, History, Media, Information, Societal Reflection
Arthur Schopenhauer Newspapers, History, Media, Information, Societal Reflection“Man is never happy, but spends his whole life in striving after something which he thinks will make him so.” Arthur Schopenhauer
Happiness, Striving, Desire, Fulfillment, Human Condition
Arthur Schopenhauer Happiness, Striving, Desire, Fulfillment, Human Condition“If God made this world, then I would not want to be the God. It is full of misery and distress that it breaks my heart.” Arthur Schopenhauer
God, Existence, Suffering, Philosophical Inquiry, Emotional Turmoil
Arthur Schopenhauer God, Existence, Suffering, Philosophical Inquiry, Emotional Turmoil“So the problem is not so much to see what nobody has yet seen, as to think what nobody has yet thought concerning that which everybody sees.” Arthur Schopenhauer
Originality, Perception, Thought, Insight, Philosophical Inquiry
Arthur Schopenhauer Originality, Perception, Thought, Insight, Philosophical Inquiry“Personal courage is really a very subordinate virtue-a virtue, indeed, in which we are surpassed by the lower animals; or else you would not hear people say, as brave as a lion.” Arthur Schopenhauer
Courage, Virtue, Comparison, Animal Kingdom, Moral Values
Arthur Schopenhauer Courage, Virtue, Comparison, Animal Kingdom, Moral Values“The cause of laughter in every case is simply the sudden perception of the incongruity between a concept and the real objects which have been thought through it in some relation, and laughter itself is just the expression of this incongruity... All laughter then is occasioned by a paradox... This, briefly stated, is the true explanation of the ludicrous.” Arthur Schopenhauer
Laughter, Humor, Incongruity, Paradox, Psychology
Arthur Schopenhauer Laughter, Humor, Incongruity, Paradox, Psychology“Reading is equivalent to thinking with someone else’s head instead of with one’s own.” Arthur Schopenhauer
Reading, Knowledge, Individuality, Thought, Influence
Arthur Schopenhauer Reading, Knowledge, Individuality, Thought, Influence“Reading is merely a surrogate for thinking for yourself; it means letting someone else direct your thoughts.” Arthur Schopenhauer
Reading, Thinking, Individuality, Intellectual Independence, Influence
Arthur Schopenhauer Reading, Thinking, Individuality, Intellectual Independence, Influence“Directly after copulation, the devil’s laughter is heard.” Arthur Schopenhauer
Sexuality, Humor, Human Nature, Life’s Paradoxes, Metaphor
Arthur Schopenhauer Sexuality, Humor, Human Nature, Life’s Paradoxes, Metaphor“Life is short and truth works far and lives long: let us speak the truth.” Arthur Schopenhauer
Life, Truth, Brevity, Authenticity, Communication
Arthur Schopenhauer Life, Truth, Brevity, Authenticity, Communication“For what is our civilized world but a big masquerade? where you meet knights, priests, soldiers, men of learning, barristers, clergymen, philosophers, and I don’t know what all! But they are not what they pretend to be; they are only masks, and, as a rule, behind the masks you will find moneymakers.” Arthur Schopenhauer
Society, Masks, Identity, Human Nature, Critique
Arthur Schopenhauer Society, Masks, Identity, Human Nature, Critique“The truth can wait, for it lives a long life.” Arthur Schopenhauer
Truth, Patience, Time, Permanence, Philosophical Reflection
Arthur Schopenhauer Truth, Patience, Time, Permanence, Philosophical Reflection“Every child is in a way a genius; and every genius is in a way a child.” Arthur Schopenhauer
Childhood, Genius, Potential, Creativity, Innocence
Arthur Schopenhauer Childhood, Genius, Potential, Creativity, Innocence“Men are the devils of the earth, and the animals are its tormented souls.” Arthur Schopenhauer
Human Nature, Morality, Animals, Suffering, Social Critique
Arthur Schopenhauer Human Nature, Morality, Animals, Suffering, Social Critique“To become reconciled to a friend with whom you have broken is a form of weakness; and you pay the penalty of it when he takes the first opportunity of doing precisely the very thing which brought about the breach.” Arthur Schopenhauer
Reconciliation, Friendships, Weakness, Consequences, Human Relationships
Arthur Schopenhauer Reconciliation, Friendships, Weakness, Consequences, Human Relationships“The reason domestic pets are so lovable and so helpful to us is because they enjoy, quietly and placidly, the present moment.” Arthur Schopenhauer
Pets, Love, Presence, Tranquility, Companionship
Arthur Schopenhauer Pets, Love, Presence, Tranquility, Companionship“We can regard our life as a uselessly disturbing episode in the blissful repose of nothingness.” Arthur Schopenhauer
Existence, Meaning, Nihilism, Philosophical Thought, Reflection
Arthur Schopenhauer Existence, Meaning, Nihilism, Philosophical Thought, Reflection“True brevity of expression consists in a man only saying what is worth saying, while avoiding all diffuse explanations of things which everyone can think out for himself.” Arthur Schopenhauer
Brevity, Expression, Clarity, Communication, Meaningful Dialogue
Arthur Schopenhauer Brevity, Expression, Clarity, Communication, Meaningful Dialogue