Schopenhauer is known for his pessimistic view of the world.. He considered that life is characterized by endless effort and suffering, with only brief moments of happiness.
Although for most of his life Schopenhauer’s work did not receive much attention, he gained recognition and influence in his later years and after his death. So much so that He is considered one of the most influential philosophers of the modern world.
Schopenhauer, the pessimistic philosopher
Arthur Schopenhauer was born in Danzig (now Gdansk, Poland) in 1788, into a family of wealthy merchants. He studied at the University of Göttingen and later in Berlin. His main work, The world as will and representationwas published in 1818, when he was only 30 years old.
His thinking is often described as philosophical pessimism. And Schopenhauer drew a world that was not as rosy as was often claimed in previous times. In his philosophical reflections, however, or perhaps because of this, we find today valuable lessons about happiness, compassion and, ultimately, about life.
He also placed emphasis on the will as a primary philosophical principle. He maintained that the fundamental reality underlying the world of appearances is the will, a blind and irrational force that manifests itself throughout nature and that is the source of all effort and desire in the world.
Phrases about the life of Schopenhauer
Schopenhauer left a large number of reflections on life, happiness and human nature who influenced intellectuals such as León Tolstoy, Gustav Mahler, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jorge Luis Borges or Carl Jung, among many others. Below, we have collected some of his most famous phrases.
7. «Life swings like a pendulum back and forth between pain and boredom.»
When we pursue something we are likely to encounter difficulties and pain, but Without something to strive for, we fall into the inertia of boredom.
8. «The first forty years of life give us the text; the next thirty, the commentary.»
Schopenhauer tells us here about how In the first half of life we accumulate experiences, knowledge and perceptions which we then reflect on in the second half.
9. «A man can do what he wants, but he cannot choose what he wants.»
A quote that reflects the Schopenhauer’s vision of free will and the nature of desire: Although we may have the freedom to act according to our desires, we have no control over the desires themselves.
10. «The less intelligent a man is, the less mysterious existence seems to him.»
The depth of thought allows us to become aware of the complexities and uncertainties of life.
11. «Compassion is the basis of morality.»
Moral acts have their origin in empathy and the ability to feel for others.
12. «Living alone is the destiny of all great souls.»
For Schopenhauer, the people who are very introspective, intellectual or have great moral strength They are often isolated due to their unique qualities and rich inner life.
13. «A man can be himself as long as he is alone; if he does not love solitude, he will not love freedom; because only when he is alone is he truly free.»
In this phrase Schopenhauer highlights the importance of solitude as a means of discovery and personal liberation.
14. «After your death you will be what you were before your birth.»
A quote that conveys a quite pessimistic view of existence in which life is nothing more than a transitory phase sandwiched between two states of non-being.
15. «Only change is eternal, perpetual, immortal.»
Existence, for Schopenhauer, has a dynamic nature and is essential accept change as an integral part of life.
16. «Each man takes the limits of his own field of vision to be the limits of the world.»
We only see reality through our personal experiences, beliefs, and perspectives.
17. “Happiness consists in the frequent repetition of pleasure.”
Happiness is not a lasting state but rather a series of pleasurable moments that occur repeatedly.
18. “Life is a constant process of dying.”
A quote that tells us about the fragile and transient nature of life: from the moment we are born we are inevitably headed towards death.
19. “The sense of humor is the only divine quality of man.”
A sense of humor is, without a doubt, a unique human trait. that allows us to transcend the challenges and limitations of life.
20. “A high degree of intellect tends to make a man unsocial.”
Schopenhauer suggests that people with strong intellectual abilities often withdraw from conventional social interactions.