“Choose solid loneliness over shallow happiness!”
Schopenhauer's aphorisms on life and wisdom that inspired Nietzsche, Tolstoy, and Einstein

“I experienced a joy as powerful as I had ever known while reading Schopenhauer.” _Tolstoy
“Schopenhauer is the only person who pursued truth even after losing all hope.” _Nietzsche
“There is a clear reason why this book has achieved its current fame.
“Elegant and very practical.” _Robert Zimmer

Schopenhauer, who is called the philosopher of philosophers, has always been followed by labels such as pessimist, critic, and outsider.
But he was a person who pursued the truth of life with a more humane perspective than anyone else.
In this book, published in 1851, he explained the meaning of happiness in a cynical yet realistic way, and even now, 200 years later, it is still read by many people and is considered a classic of philosophy that must be read at least once in one's life.

I believe that the wisdom of life is a concept inherent entirely in human consciousness.
This is called happiness theory, and happiness theory refers to the technique of living life as happily and enjoyably as possible.
These skills can serve as a guide to becoming a happy being.
However, if we think about this fact purely and objectively (since subjective judgment is important here), we can define it as much better to live a happy life than to become non-existent (the negative form of existence_translator's note) through cool-headed and experienced reflection.
Therefore, from the concept of wisdom of life, the reason we are endlessly obsessed with a happy life is not because we fear death, but because we pursue a happy life itself.

--- p.8

The reason so many people born into wealth squander their enormous inheritances so quickly and helplessly is the boredom that comes from a poor and empty mind.
If you are born rich but poor on the inside, you will try to replace your inner wealth with external wealth by accepting anything from outside, but your efforts will be futile.
It's like an old man trying to look younger by borrowing the energy of a girl.
In this way, inner poverty eventually leads to outer poverty.

--- p.25

In everything humans do, the thing they care most about is what other people think.
If we look closely, we can see that half of human worries and fears come from thoughts about other people.
Frequently wounded and pathologically oversensitive, pride is based on vanity and arrogance, as well as on showing off and boasting.
If only these worries and obsessions were not there, luxury would not even be a tenth of what it is now.
All pride, all issues of face, all stubbornness, no matter how different in kind and extent, are rooted in worry and obsession.
--- p.91

The only time a human being can be himself is when he is alone.
Therefore, he who does not love solitude does not love freedom.
Because humans are free only when they are alone.
Socializing and coercion are inseparable companions, and the stronger each person's individuality in a group, the more difficult it is to make sacrifices.
Accordingly, each person will avoid, tolerate, or love loneliness in proportion to his or her own worth.
In solitude, a miserable man feels his misery, and a great man feels his greatness.

--- p.207

La Bruyère said, 'All our suffering comes from not being able to be alone.'
Most people we come into contact with are morally evil, intellectually dull, or flawed, making sociability a dangerous and even harmful trait.

--- p.215

If I consider someone much more important than they need to be, they will immediately feel like something has been stolen from them.
So in revenge for this, he will try to get something back from me.
Superiority in a relationship arises from one person's not needing the other in any way and from the way he or she demonstrates this.
Accordingly, it is desirable to give the impression that you can get along well without the other person, regardless of whether the other person is a man or a woman.
At times like these, friendship becomes stronger.
Most people don't really get hurt even if they are occasionally insulted.
The more you ignore them, the more they value their friendship.

--- p.263

Because it is only in old age that one becomes rich in experience and knowledge.
Old age is a time when we observe things from many different perspectives, reflect on them, find the connections and links between them, and understand their context for the first time.
Only then can all problems be solved.
Because we have more evidence to illuminate individual concepts, we now understand much more thoroughly the issues we already knew in our youth.
Even things you thought you knew when you were young, when you get older you really know a lot and as a result of reflecting on all aspects, you gain consistent understanding.

--- p.334