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
If we were not all so interested in ourselves, life would be so uninteresting that none of us would be able to endure it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Self-interest drives our engagement with life, making it more bearable.
This quote by Arthur Schopenhauer suggests that an intrinsic focus on ourselves and our experiences is what gives life its meaning and excitement. Without this self-interest, the world would be dull and unendurable, highlighting the paradox that our egocentrism is integral to our enjoyment and engagement with life.
Themes
Self-InterestLifeEngagementMeaningExistence
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared in a philosophical discussion about the nature of human existence.
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.
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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.
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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