Arthur Schopenhauer Quotes
Arthur Schopenhauer was a 19th-century German philosopher best known for his metaphysical pessimism and his theory of the world as will and representation. The World as Will and Representation argues that the underlying reality of all phenomena is a blind, striving will, and that human suffering is an inevitable consequence of this fundamental nature. The quotes below are attributed to Arthur Schopenhauer, organized by topic.
Arthur Schopenhauer on Death
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Attributed to Arthur Schopenhauer:
“Every parting gives a foretaste of death; every reunion a hint of the resurrection.”
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Attributed to Arthur Schopenhauer:
“After your death you will be what you were before your birth.”
Arthur Schopenhauer on Freedom
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Attributed to Arthur Schopenhauer:
“A man can be himself only so long as he is alone.”
Arthur Schopenhauer on Happiness
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Attributed to Arthur Schopenhauer:
“It is difficult to find happiness within oneself, but it is impossible to find it anywhere else.”
Arthur Schopenhauer on Knowledge
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Attributed to Arthur Schopenhauer:
“Talent hits a target no one else can hit; genius hits a target no one else can see.”
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Attributed to Arthur Schopenhauer:
“Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world.”
Arthur Schopenhauer on Life
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Attributed to Arthur Schopenhauer:
“Wealth is like sea-water; the more we drink, the thirstier we become.”
Arthur Schopenhauer on Mind
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Attributed to Arthur Schopenhauer:
“The world is my representation.”
Arthur Schopenhauer on Virtue
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Attributed to Arthur Schopenhauer:
“We forfeit three-fourths of ourselves in order to be like other people.”
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Attributed to Arthur Schopenhauer:
“Compassion is the basis of morality.”
Things actually not said by Arthur Schopenhauer
A number of widely-shared lines are circulated as Arthur Schopenhauer but are in fact from someone else. Did Arthur Schopenhauer say these? No. Each entry below pairs the line with the person who actually wrote it.
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Did Arthur Schopenhauer say this? No.
“All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.”
Although widely circulated as Schopenhauer, this exact formulation has not been located in his collected works or correspondence. Schopenhauer made related observations about how new ideas are received, but the three-stage formula in this English phrasing appears to be a 20th-century summary rather than a translation. The actual author has not been confirmed.