"The Wisdom of Life" Reading Notes#
Author: Schopenhauer
Reading Duration: 0 hours
These are the notes and excerpts I recorded while reading "The Wisdom of Life" on WeChat Reading.
Translator's Preface#
"Truth is my only guiding star."
"At this moment, I stand at the end of the road, my aged head no longer able to bear the laurel wreath."
"Truth can wait patiently, for truth is eternal."
Will is the essence of this world, transcending time, space, and causality; it has neither cause nor purpose; it blindly and recklessly strives for objectification. Our complex and diverse world of phenomena, existing in time and space and following the law of causality, is the product and manifestation of will, the objectification of will in time and space.
"Truth is my only guiding star."
"At this moment, I stand at the end of the road, my aged head no longer able to bear the laurel wreath."
"Truth can wait patiently, for truth is eternal."
Will is the essence of this world, transcending time, space, and causality; it has neither cause nor purpose; it blindly and recklessly strives for objectification. Our complex and diverse world of phenomena, existing in time and space and following the law of causality, is the product and manifestation of will, the objectification of will in time and space.
Introduction#
Happiness is not an easy thing: it is hard to seek within oneself, but impossible to find elsewhere. — Schopenhauer
Voltaire [illustration] once said: "When we leave this world, it remains as foolish and evil as it was when we first arrived."
Happiness is not an easy thing: it is hard to seek within oneself, but impossible to find elsewhere. — Schopenhauer
Voltaire [illustration] once said: "When we leave this world, it remains as foolish and evil as it was when we first arrived."
Preface to the Reissue#
What Schopenhauer said in his book, "The best gifts are often the least appreciated; most people in the world regard the worst as the best," is partly confirmed by the fate of his works.
What Schopenhauer said in his book, "The best gifts are often the least appreciated; most people in the world regard the worst as the best," is partly confirmed by the fate of his works.
Appendix#
Life is truly a terrible thing; I have decided to spend this life pondering and exploring this terrible life.
For the vast majority of scholars, their knowledge is merely a means, not an end. This explains why these individuals will never achieve extraordinary accomplishments in their fields of knowledge; to make a mark, the knowledge or scholarship they engage in must be their purpose, while everything else, even their very existence, is merely a means. Those who can acquire novel and great fundamental views are only those who regard the pursuit of knowledge as their direct purpose in learning, indifferent to other purposes.
All truly excellent works, regardless of time and place, must engage in an endless struggle against the absurd and inferior things that always hold sway. In this world, vile and malicious elements generally dominate, while the foolish voices shout the loudest. The judgment of the masses is perverse; to create excellent works and avoid producing inferior ones, creators must resist and disdain the judgments of the masses and their representatives.
A state is merely an establishment to protect the whole people from attacks by other states or to protect members of the state from attacks by other members. The necessity of establishing a state lies in the acknowledgment that there is no justice between people.
Compared to wisdom and strength, I believe luck is more important. Our lives can be likened to the voyage of a ship. Luck—whether favorable or unfavorable—plays the role of the wind, which can swiftly propel our journey or push us back a great distance; in this regard, our efforts and struggles are futile. Our efforts and struggles merely serve as the oars. We may row with all our might for hours, finally making some progress. At that moment, a sudden strong wind can push us back the same distance.
Anyone who has lived a life as lonely as mine naturally understands what it means to travel alone.
Life is truly a terrible thing; I have decided to spend this life pondering and exploring this terrible life.
For the vast majority of scholars, their knowledge is merely a means, not an end. This explains why these individuals will never achieve extraordinary accomplishments in their fields of knowledge; to make a mark, the knowledge or scholarship they engage in must be their purpose, while everything else, even their very existence, is merely a means. Those who can acquire novel and great fundamental views are only those who regard the pursuit of knowledge as their direct purpose in learning, indifferent to other purposes.
All truly excellent works, regardless of time and place, must engage in an endless struggle against the absurd and inferior things that always hold sway. In this world, vile and malicious elements generally dominate, while the foolish voices shout the loudest. The judgment of the masses is perverse; to create excellent works and avoid producing inferior ones, creators must resist and disdain the judgments of the masses and their representatives.
A state is merely an establishment to protect the whole people from attacks by other states or to protect members of the state from attacks by other members. The necessity of establishing a state lies in the acknowledgment that there is no justice between people.
Compared to wisdom and strength, I believe luck is more important. Our lives can be likened to the voyage of a ship. Luck—whether favorable or unfavorable—plays the role of the wind, which can swiftly propel our journey or push us back a great distance; in this regard, our efforts and struggles are futile. Our efforts and struggles merely serve as the oars. We may row with all our might for hours, finally making some progress. At that moment, a sudden strong wind can push us back the same distance.
Anyone who has lived a life as lonely as mine naturally understands what it means to travel alone.
The Magical Charm and Influence of Schopenhauer's Philosophy#
People always mistakenly believe they can find happiness in this world, whereas happiness is merely the absence of pain; once pain is removed, boredom appears. Thus, a new round of striving for satisfaction begins.
People always mistakenly believe they can find happiness in this world, whereas happiness is merely the absence of pain; once pain is removed, boredom appears. Thus, a new round of striving for satisfaction begins.
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