Astonishment Quote by Arthur Schopenhauer
“A man finds himself, to his great astonishment, suddenly existing, after thousands and thousands of years of non-existence: he lives for a little while; and then, again, comes an equally long period when he must exist no more. The heart rebels against this, and feels that it cannot be true.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The World as Will and Representation, Arthur Schopenhauer, 1818
Human existence is a brief, intermittent flash amidst vast non‑existence, causing the mind to resist its fleeting nature.
In simple terms: Life is short and intermittent.
Key Takeaway
Accept impermanence.
Themes
existence
impermanence
philosophy
Mood
reflective
melancholic
Type
philosophical
existential
When to use this quote
- personal reflection
- death contemplation
- mindfulness practice
Key Concepts
ontological
temporal
existential
Questions to Reflect On
- How does recognizing life's brevity affect your choices?
- What does the heart's rebellion reveal about our fear of death?
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![“[Materialism] seeks the primary and most simple state of matter, and then tries to develop all the others from it; ascending from mere mechanism, to chemism, to polarity, to the vegetable and to the animal kingdom. And if we suppose this to have been done, the last link in the chain would be…” quote by Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/88c/arthur-schopenhauer-226_animal-kingdom_materialism-seeks-the-primary-and-most-s_50402.jpg)
