---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If at times I have thought myself…"
description: "\"If at times I have thought myself unfortunate, it is because of a confusion, an error. I have mistaken myself for someone else... Who am I really? I am..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aff/arthur-schopenhauer-226_answers_if-at-times-i-have-thought-myself-unfort_2863178.jpg"
---

#  If at times I have thought myself unfortunate, it is…

![“If at times I have thought myself unfortunate, it is because of a confusion, an error. I have mistaken myself for someone else... Who am I really? I am the author of The World as Will and Representation, I am the one who has given an answer to the mystery of Being that will occupy the thinkers of…” quote by Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aff/arthur-schopenhauer-226_answers_if-at-times-i-have-thought-myself-unfort_2863178.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aff/arthur-schopenhauer-226_answers_if-at-times-i-have-thought-myself-unfort_2863178.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aff/arthur-schopenhauer-226_answers_if-at-times-i-have-thought-myself-unfort_2863178.jpg)

> “If at times I have thought myself unfortunate, it is because of a confusion, an error. I have mistaken myself for someone else... Who am I really? I am the author of The World as Will and Representation, I am the one who has given an answer to the mystery of Being that will occupy the thinkers of future centuries. That is what I am, and who can dispute it in the years of life that still remain for me?”

[Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Schopenhauer sees himself as the author of a profound philosophical work, asserting his unique contribution to understanding Being.

**In simple terms:** He claims authorship of a major philosophical answer.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and own your intellectual contributions.

Themes

philosophy identity authorship metaphysics legacy

Mood

reflective assertive

Type

philosophical personal

When to use this quote

- academic writing
- personal reflection
- intellectual legacy
- public speaking

Key Concepts

German idealism existentialism self‑realization

Questions to Reflect On

- How does authorship shape philosophical impact?
- What responsibilities come with such claims?

A Different Perspective

Self‑identification may overlook collaborative influences.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Confusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confusion/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) [Representation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/representation/) [Thinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinker/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Years of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-of-life/)

## Related quotes

> [AUSTRALIA, n. A country lying in the South Sea, whose industrial and commercial development has been unspeakably retarded by an unfortunate dispute among geographers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/australia-n-a-country-lying-in-the-south-sea-whose-industrial-and/)

[Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/)

> [The weakness of their reasoning faculty also explains why women show more sympathy for the unfortunate than men;... and why, on the contrary, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/the-weakness-of-their-reasoning-faculty-also-explains-why-women-show/)

[Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/)

> [There is no more mistaken path to happiness than worldliness, revelry, high life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/there-is-no-more-mistaken-path-to-happiness-than-worldliness-revelry/)

[Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/)

> [Fifteen years ago tomorrow I had open heart surgery, a quintuple bypass surgery. Thanks to all of my doctors. Because of them, in 15…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/fifteen-years-ago-tomorrow-i-had-open-heart-surgery-a-quintuple/)

[David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

> [“When the years are dying in the arms of your life, the earth is in pain moving around the sun.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munia-khan/when-the-years-are-dying-in-the-arms-of-your-life-the-earth-is-in/)

[Munia Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munia-khan/)

> [Our emotional map is laid down mainly in relationship with our earliest caregiver in the first couple of years of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-perry/our-emotional-map-is-laid-down-mainly-in-relationship-with-our/)

[Philippa Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-perry/)

> [Child psychologists have demonstrated that our minds are actually constructed by these thousands of tiny interactions during the first few years of life. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-poitier/child-psychologists-have-demonstrated-that-our-minds-are-actually/)

[Sidney Poitier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-poitier/)

> [If the bees disappear, man would have only four years of life left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/if-the-bees-disappear-man-would-have-only-four-years-of-life-left/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [I love to read. I remember hearing that the average author takes two years to write a book. So when I read a book,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/i-love-to-read-i-remember-hearing-that-the-average-author-takes-two/)

[Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/)

> [We belong to that order of mammals, the primates, distinguished by its propensity for repeated single litters, intense parental care, long life-spans, late sexual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-j-kaplan/we-belong-to-that-order-of-mammals-the-primates-distinguished-by-its/)

[Louise J. Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-j-kaplan/)

> [“The elderly were formerly young before being utterly overtaken by years. It is only orderly that they arrive first at our common destination of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-okay-nwachukwu/the-elderly-were-formerly-young-before-being-utterly-overtaken-by/)

[Vincent Okay Nwachukwu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-okay-nwachukwu/)

> [Once a day, especially in the early years of life and study, call yourselves to an account what new ideas, what new proposition or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-watts/once-a-day-especially-in-the-early-years-of-life-and-study-call/)

[Isaac Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-watts/)

> [If our society were truly to appreciate the significance of children's emotional ties throughout the first years of life, it would no longer tolerate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-greenspan/if-our-society-were-truly-to-appreciate-the-significance-of-children/)

[Stanley Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-greenspan/)

> [I hear hundreds of years of life. I hear wind and rain and fire and beetles. I hear the seasons changing and birds and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/i-hear-hundreds-of-years-of-life-i-hear-wind-and-rain-and-fire-and/)

[Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/)

> [After 13 years of life on the half shell in Hollywood, I have made a trip where I wasn't a tourist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-bergen/after-13-years-of-life-on-the-half-shell-in-hollywood-i-have-made-a/)

[Edgar Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-bergen/)

## More by Arthur Schopenhauer

> [Virtue is as little to be acquired by learning as genius; nay, the idea is barren, and is only to be employed as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/virtue-is-as-little-to-be-acquired-by-learning-as-genius-nay-the-idea/)

[Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/)

> [“In accordance with such zeal, by reducing the external world to a matter of faith, he wanted merely to open a little door for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/in-accordance-with-such-zeal-by-reducing-the-external-world-to-a/)

[Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/)

> [That human life must be some kind of mistake is sufficiently proved by the simple observation that man is a compound of needs which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/that-human-life-must-be-some-kind-of-mistake-is-sufficiently-proved/)

[Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/)

> [“Imitation and custom are the spring of almost all human action. The cause of it is that men fight shy of all and any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/imitation-and-custom-are-the-spring-of-almost-all-human-action-the/)

[Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/)

> [ \[T\]he appropriate form of address between man and man ought to be, not monsieur, sir, but fellow sufferer, compagnon de miseres. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/t-he-appropriate-form-of-address-between-man-and-man-ought-to-be-not/)

[Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/)

> [The eternal being..., as it lives in us, also lives in every animal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/the-eternal-being-as-it-lives-in-us-also-lives-in-every-animal/)

[Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/)

> [there are very few who can think, but every man wants to have an opinion; and what remains but to take it ready-made from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/there-are-very-few-who-can-think-but-every-man-wants-to-have-an/)

[Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/)

> [It is not what things are objectively and in themselves, but what they are for us, in our way of looking at them, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/it-is-not-what-things-are-objectively-and-in-themselves-but-what-they/)

[Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/)

> [ “\[Materialism\] seeks the primary and most simple state of matter, and then tries to develop all the others from it; ascending from mere mechanism,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/materialism-seeks-the-primary-and-most-simple-state-of-matter-and/)

[Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/)

> [In order to increase his pleasures, man has intentionally added to the number and pressure of his needs, which in their original state were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/in-order-to-increase-his-pleasures-man-has-intentionally-added-to-the/)

[Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/)

> [“For the will, as that which is common to all, is for that reason also common: consequently, every vehement emergence of will is common,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/for-the-will-as-that-which-is-common-to-all-is-for-that-reason-also/)

[Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/)

> [“Alles Urdenken geschieht in Bildern: darum ist die Phantasie ein so nothwendiges Werkzeug desselben, und werden phantasielose Köpfe nie etwas Großes leisten, - es…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/alles-urdenken-geschieht-in-bildern-darum-ist-die-phantasie-ein-so/)

[Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/)

> [Intellect is invisible to the man who has none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/intellect-is-invisible-to-the-man-who-has-none/)

[Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/)

> [Newspapers are the second hand of history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/newspapers-are-the-second-hand-of-history/)

[Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/)

> [“In travelling where novelties of all kinds press in upon us, mental food is often supplied so rapidly from without that there is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/in-travelling-where-novelties-of-all-kinds-press-in-upon-us-mental/)

[Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/)

[Explore all 791 Arthur Schopenhauer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/)

## More Answers quotes

> [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/)

[Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/)

> [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/)

[Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/)

> [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/)

[John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/)

> [“As long as you keep searching,the answers will come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kynock/as-long-as-you-keep-searching-the-answers-will-come/)

[Mitch Kynock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kynock/)

> [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/)

[Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/)

> [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/)

[Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/)

> [A religious person answers to God, not to the elected or non-elected official.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/a-religious-person-answers-to-god-not-to-the-elected-or-non-elected/)

[Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/)

> [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/)

[Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/)

> [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. The lyrics are the answer to all your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-asking-a-girl-how-she-feels-try-looking-through-her/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/)

[Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/)

> [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/)

[Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/)

> [Enjoying life isn't about finding the answers, but living the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-margolis/enjoying-life-isn-t-about-finding-the-answers-but-living-the-questions/)

[Sue Margolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-margolis/)

Browse all 7,843 Answers quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If at times I have thought myself unfortunate, it is because of a confusion, an error. I have mistaken myself for someone else... Who am I really? I am the author of The World as Will and Representation, I am the one who has given an answer to the mystery of Being that will occupy the thinkers of future centuries. That is what I am, and who can dispute it in the years of life that still remain for me?",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Arthur Schopenhauer"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/if-at-times-i-have-thought-myself-unfortunate-it-is-because-of-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Answers"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/if-at-times-i-have-thought-myself-unfortunate-it-is-because-of-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aff/arthur-schopenhauer-226_answers_if-at-times-i-have-thought-myself-unfort_2863178.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aff/arthur-schopenhauer-226_answers_if-at-times-i-have-thought-myself-unfort_2863178.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aff/arthur-schopenhauer-226_answers_if-at-times-i-have-thought-myself-unfort_2863178.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If at times I have thought myself unfortunate, it is because of a confusion, an error. I have mistaken…” — Arthur Schopenhauer",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Arthur Schopenhauer",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If at times I have thought...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/if-at-times-i-have-thought-myself-unfortunate-it-is-because-of-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/if-at-times-i-have-thought-myself-unfortunate-it-is-because-of-a/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
