Arthur Schopenhauer

"There is only one inborn erroneous notion ... that we exist in order to be happy ... So long as we persist in this inborn error ... the world seems to us full of contradictions. For at every step, in great things and small, we are bound to experience that the world and life are certainly not arranged for the purpose of maintaining a happy existence ... hence the countenances of almost all elderly persons wear the expression of ... disappointment."

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Source: The World as Will and Representation by Arthur Schopenhauer, Vol. II, (1819; 1844; 1859).

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Arthur Schopenhauer

Arthur Schopenhauer

Philosopher

Arthur Schopenhauer was a German philosopher known for his pessimistic philosophy and the concept of the 'will to live,' particularly in 'The World as Will and Representation.'

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Arthur Schopenhauer Philosopher

"The real meaning of persona is a mask, such as actors were accustomed to wear on the ancient stage; and it is quite true that no one shows himself as he is, but wears his mask and plays his part. Indeed, the whole of our social arrangements may be likened to a perpetual comedy; and this is why a man who is worth anything finds society so insipid, while a blockhead is quite at home in it."

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