Consciousness is the mere surface of our minds, of which, as of the earth, we do not know the inside, but only the crust.
Arthur SchopenhauerNational character is only another name for the particular form which the littleness, perversity and baseness of mankind take in every country. Every nation mocks at other nations, and all are right.
Arthur SchopenhauerFor an act to be moral the intention must be based on compassion, not duty. We do something because we want to do it, because we feel we have to do it, not because we ought to do it. And even if our efforts fail - or we never even get to implement them - we are still moral because our motivation was based on compassion.
Arthur SchopenhauerThe law of simplicity and naïveté applies to all fine art, for it is compatible with what is most sublime.
Arthur SchopenhauerAnimals learn death first at the moment of death;...man approaches death with the knowledge it is closer every hour, and this creates a feeling of uncertainty over his life, even for him who forgets in the business of life that annihilation is awaiting him. It is for this reason chiefly that we have philosophy and religion.
Arthur Schopenhauer