Truth Quote by Arthur Schopenhauer
““In endless space countless luminous spheres, round each of which some dozen smaller illuminated ones revolve, hot at the core and covered over with a hard cold crust; on this crust a mouldy film has produced living and knowing beings: this is empirical truth, the real, the world. Yet for a being who thinks, it is a precarious position to stand on one of those numberless spheres freely floating in boundless space, without knowing whence or whither, and to be only one of innumerable similar beings that throng, press, and toil, restlessly and rapidly arising and passing away in beginningless and endless time.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The World as Will and Representation, 1818
Human existence is fleeting and uncertain in an immense, indifferent cosmos, highlighting our fragile awareness amidst endless cycles.
In simple terms: Life is brief and uncertain in a vast universe.
Key Takeaway
Embrace humility and curiosity.
Themes
existentialism
cosmology
humanity
Mood
awe
humble
reflective
Type
philosophical
existential
When to use this quote
- personal reflection
- spiritual contemplation
- scientific curiosity
- ethical decision making
Key Concepts
impermanence
scale
knowledge
meaning
philosophy
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you find purpose in a vast universe?
- What responsibilities arise from recognizing our fragility?
A Different Perspective
Our limited perspective can’t grasp the totality of existence.
![“[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)
