Free will Quote by Arthur Schopenhauer
“All our wanting comes from needs, thus we continiously suffer. The intellect teaches free will, free from suffering.”
About This Quote
Source Philosophical work: The World as Will and Representation, 1818
Desire stems from needs causing suffering; intellect can free one from suffering through rational will.
In simple terms: Desire causes suffering; intellect can free.
Key Takeaway
Cultivate rational will.
Themes
suffering
desire
free will
Mood
reflective
analytical
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- therapy
- meditation
- education
- decision making
Key Concepts
Stoicism
existentialism
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you apply rational analysis to cravings?
- What role does emotion play in decision making?
A Different Perspective
Intellect alone may not eliminate emotional pain.
![“The will and the energy of God is the effective and foreseeing cause of every time and place and age, and of every nature. The will is the reason (logos) of the intellectual soul, which [reason] is within us, inasmuch as it is the faculty belonging to it which is endowed with freedom of action…” quote by The Church Fathers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a88/the-church-fathers-1438_freedom_the-will-and-the-energy-of-god-is-the-ef_2750145.jpg)
![“[T]he appropriate form of address between man and man ought to be, not monsieur, sir, but fellow sufferer, compagnon de miseres.” quote by Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/be6/arthur-schopenhauer-226_addresses_t-he-appropriate-form-of-address-between_32897.jpg)
![“[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)
