Quotes from Arthur Schopenhauer

Religions are the children of ignorance, and they do not long survive their mother. - On Religion

A library may be very large; but if it is in disorder, it is not so useful as one that is small but well arranged. In the same way, a man may have a great mass of knowledge, but if he has not worked it up by thinking it over for himself, it has much less value than a far smaller amount which he has thoroughly pondered.

Traim intr-o societate de porci spinosi surprinsa de iarna raului universal; vrem sa ne incalzim unii de altii, dar tepii de pe spatele fiecaruia nu ne lasa.

Courage, however, may also be explained as a readiness to meet ills that threaten at the moment, in order to avoid greater ills that lie in the future; whereas cowardice does the contrary.

great intelligence in a writer if his similes

Orice animal de prada ajunge mormintul viu a inca o mie de alti pradatori si nu rezista in timp decit cu pretul unui lung sir de martirii. Inteligenta mareste capacitatea de a suferii, atingind la om gradul cel mai inalt.

There is an underlying unity in all things

Un hombre puede ser él mismo mientras esté solo; si no ama la soledad, no amará la libertad; porque sólo cuando se está solo se es realmente libre.

El dolor no brota de no tener. Brota de querer tener y sin embargo no tener. El querer tener es la conditio sine qua non para que el dolor sea eficaz.

Each separate misfortune, as it comes, seems, no doubt, to be something exceptional; but misfortune in general is the rule.

The only freedom that exists is of a metaphysical character. In the physical world freedom is an impossibility.

Time is continually pressing upon us, never letting us take breath, but always coming after us, like a taskmaster with a whip. If at any moment Time stays his hand, it is only when we are delivered over to the misery of boredom.

Ninguém é realmente digno de inveja, e tantos são dignos de lástima!

And I may say, further, that a certain amount of care or pain or trouble is necessary for every man at all times. A ship without ballast is unstable and will not go straight.

Exaggeration of every kind is as essential to journalism as it is to the dramatic art; for the object of journalism is to make events go as far as possible. Thus it is that all journalists are, in the very nature of their calling, alarmists; and this is their way of giving interest to what they write. Herein

Exaggeration of every kind is as essential to journalism as it is to the dramatic art; for the object of journalism is to make events go as far as possible. Thus it is that all journalists are, in the very nature of their calling, alarmists; and this is their way of giving interest to what they write. Herein they are like little dogs; if anything stirs, they immediately set up a shrill bark.

Whatever fate befalls you, do not give way to great rejoicings or great lamentation; partly because all things are full of change, and your fortune may turn at any moment; partly because men are so apt to be deceived in their judgment as to what is good or bad for them.

A pena está para o pensamento como a bengala está para o andar. Da mesma maneira que se caminha com mais leveza sem bengala, o pensamento mais pleno se dá sem a pena. Apenas quando uma pessoa começa a ficar velha ela gosta de usar bengala e pena.

with man sexual gratification is tied to a very obstinate selectivity which is sometimes intensified into a more or less passionate love. Thus sexuality becomes for man a source of brief pleasure and protracted suffering.

Mancarea buna, vinurile alese – iata scopul suprem al existentei; sa-si procure tot ce contribuie la binele sau material este tinta vietii sale. Seriozitatea rece, lipsita de sens este proprie filistinului si-l caracterizeaza. Odata sfarsite placerile materiale, societatea filistinilor devine curand plictisitoare. Pana si jocul de carti devine monoton.

The truest fame, the fame that comes after death, is never heard of by its recipient; and yet he is called a happy man. His happiness lay both in the possession of those great qualities which won him fame, and in the opportunity that was granted him of developing them–the leisure he had to act as he pleased, to dedicate himself to his favorite pursuits. It is only work done from the heart that ever gains the laurel

Uma hipótese leva, na cabeça em que se estabeleceu ou mesmo na cabeça em que nasceu, uma vida comparável à de um organismo, já que assimila do mundo exterior apenas o que lhe é proveitoso e homogêneo. Quanto ao que é heterogêneo e prejudicial, ou ela não deixa que chegue perto, ou então, quando se trata de algo que é inevitável assimilar, expele-o novamente, intacto.

Assim como todo excesso numa atividade costuma levar ao contrário do que se pretendia, as palavras servem de fato para tornar os pensamentos compreensíveis, mas só até certo ponto. Quando esse ponto é ultrapassado, elas tornam os pensamentos a serem comunicados mais e mais obscuros. Encontrar tal ponto é uma tarefa do estilo e uma questão da capacidade de julgar, pois toda palavra supérflua age diretamente contra seu objetivo.

Die Freunde nennen sich aufrichtig; die Feinde sind es: daher man ihren Tadel zur Selbsterkenntnis benutzen sollte, als eine bittre Arznei