Arthur Schopenhauer
Pessimist philosophy
Sayings by Arthur Schopenhauer
It is difficult to keep quiet if you have nothing to do.
Every miserable fool who has nothing at all of which he can be proud, adopts as a last resource pride in the nation to which he belongs; he is ready and happy to defend all its faults and follies tooth and nail, thus reimbursing himself for his own inferiority.
Marrying means, to grasp blindfolded into a sack hoping to find out an eel out of an assembly of snakes.
Religion is the masterpiece of the art of animal training, for it trains people as to how they shall think.
If we suspect that a man is lying, we should pretend to believe him, for then he becomes bold and assured, lies more energetically, and is unmasked.
A last trick is to become personal, insulting and rude as soon as you perceive that your opponent has the upper hand. In becoming personal you leave the subject altogether, and turn your attack on the person by remarks of an offensive and spiteful character. This is a very popular trick, because everyone is able to carry it into effect.
The shortest follies are the best.
The shortness of life, so often lamented, may be the best thing about it.
Women are suited to being the nurses and teachers of our earliest childhood precisely because they themselves are childish, silly, and short-sighted.
The Jews are the great masters of lying.
The life of an individual is a constant struggle, and not merely a metaphorical one against want or boredom, but also an actual struggle against other people.
Mostly, it is loss which teaches us the value of things.
Man is a metaphysical animal.
One should use common words to say uncommon things.
Great minds are like eagles, and build their nest on some lofty solitude.
The pleasure of reading a book is heightened by the knowledge that it is not a new book.
To live alone is the fate of all great souls.
The fundamental error of all systems of morality is that they are not based on observation.
Optimism is a truly wicked way of thinking.
The greatest happiness is to be born without a brain.