Amount Quote by Arthur Schopenhauer
“As the biggest library if it is in disorder is not as useful as a small but well-arranged one, so you may accumulate a vast amount of knowledge but it will be of far less value to you than a much smaller amount if you have not thought it over for yourself; because only through ordering what you know by comparing every truth with every other truth can you take complete possession of your knowledge and get it into your power. You can think about only what you know, so you ought to learn something; on the other hand, you can know only what you have thought about.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The World as Will and Representation, 1818
Knowledge gains value only when organized and reflected upon, not merely accumulated.
In simple terms: Think about what you know to make it useful.
Key Takeaway
Organize and reflect on information.
Themes
knowledge
reflection
learning
Mood
analytical
thoughtful
Type
philosophical
educational
When to use this quote
- studying
- research
- decision making
Key Concepts
epistemology
critical thinking
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you currently organize your knowledge?
- What methods help you reflect deeply?
A Different Perspective
Information overload can still hinder understanding without synthesis.
![“[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)
