We can come to look upon the deaths of our enemies with as much regret as we feel for those of our friends, namely, when we miss their existence as witnesses to our success.
Arthur SchopenhauerRead
Compassion is the basis of morality.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Compassion underpins our moral actions and ethical behavior towards others.
Arthur Schopenhauer posits that compassion is essential for morality, suggesting that our moral obligations and ethical standards are rooted in our ability to empathize with the suffering of others. This perspective emphasizes that true morality arises from a deep-seated concern for the well-being of fellow beings, indicating that without compassion, our moral frameworks become hollow and uninspired.
Themes
CompassionMoralityEmpathyEthicsKindness
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of kindness in leadership.
More from Arthur Schopenhauer
All quotes βTo be shocked at how deeply rejection hurts is to ignore what acceptance involves. We must never allow our suffering to be compounded by suggestions that there is something odd in suffering so deeply. There would be something amiss if we didn't.
Arthur SchopenhauerRead
Almost all of our sorrows spring out of our relations with other people.
Arthur SchopenhauerRead
Life is full of troubles and vexations, that one must either rise above it by means of corrected thoughts, or leave it.
Arthur SchopenhauerRead
Our religions will never at any time take root; the ancient wisdom of the human race will not be supplanted by the events in Galilee. On the contrary, Indian wisdom flows back to Europe, and will produce a fundamental change in our knowledge and thought.
Arthur SchopenhauerRead
We will gradually become indifferent to what goes on in the minds of other people when we acquire a knowledge of the superficial nature of their thoughts, the narrowness of their views and of the number of their errors. Whoever attaches a lot of value to the opinions of others pays them too much honor.
Arthur SchopenhauerRead
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We live in an age in which there is no heroic death.
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