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
The intellectual attainments of a man who thinks for himself resemble a fine painting, where the light and shade are correct, the tone sustained, the colour perfectly harmonised; it is true to life. On the other hand, the intellectual attainments of the mere man of learning are like a large palette, full of all sorts of colours, which at most are systematically arranged, but devoid of harmony, connection and meaning.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote contrasts independent thinkers with those who simply accumulate knowledge, emphasizing depth and understanding over mere information.
Arthur Schopenhauer's quote highlights the difference between true intellectual attainment and superficial learning. He uses the metaphor of a fine painting to depict the depth, harmony, and lifelike qualities of wisdom gained through independent thought. In contrast, he likens the knowledge of someone who has only learned without thinking to a disorganized palette of colors, lacking coherence and meaning. This suggests that genuine understanding comes from thoughtful analysis rather than rote memorization.
Themes
IntellectWisdomIndependent ThinkingLearningKnowledge
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about education, you might use this quote to emphasize the importance of critical thinking.
More from Arthur Schopenhauer
All quotes →To 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.
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Almost all of our sorrows spring out of our relations with other people.
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Life is full of troubles and vexations, that one must either rise above it by means of corrected thoughts, or leave it.
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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.
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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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