Age Quote by Arthur Schopenhauer
“As the strata of the earth preserve in succession the living creatures of past epochs, so the shelves of libraries preserve in succession the errors of the past and their expositions, which like the former were very lively and made a great commotion in their own age but now stand petrified and stiff in a place where only the literary palaeontologist regards them.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The Art of Reading, 1851
Libraries keep past mistakes alive like fossils, preserving outdated ideas that once caused uproar but now are inert, only examined by literary scholars.
In simple terms: Libraries preserve old errors as historical artifacts.
Key Takeaway
Study history to avoid repeating mistakes.
Themes
history
literature
critical thinking
Mood
analytical
thoughtful
Type
essay
philosophical
When to use this quote
- academic research
- library curation
- educational curricula
Key Concepts
preservation of ideas
intellectual archaeology
Questions to Reflect On
- What value do we gain from studying outdated theories?
- How can we balance respect for history with innovation?
A Different Perspective
Focusing on past errors may hinder new ideas.
![“[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)
