A man can do what he wants, but not want what he wants.

It is the courage to make a clean breast of it in the face of every question that makes the philosopher. He must be like Sophocles' Oedipus, who, seeking enlightenment concerning his terrible fate, pursues his indefatigable inquiry even though he divines that appalling horror awaits him in the answer. But most of us carry with us the Jocasta in our hearts, who begs Oedipus, for God's sake, not to inquire further.

Human life, like all inferior goods, is covered on the outside with a false glitter; what suffers always conceals itself.

Poetry is related to philosophy as experience is related to empirical science. Experience makes us acquainted with the phenomenon in the particular and by means of examples, science embraces the whole of phenomena by means of general conceptions. So poetry seeks to make us acquainted with the Platonic Ideas through the particular and by means of examples. Philosophy aims at teaching, as a whole and in general, the inner nature of things which expresses itself in these. One sees even here that poetry bears more the character of youth, philosophy that of old age.

The problem with Germans is that they look in the clouds for what lies at their feet.

All our wanting comes from needs, thus we continiously suffer. The intellect teaches free will, free from suffering.

Gaiety alone, as it were, is the hard cash of happiness; everything else is just a promissory note.