A man can do as he will, but not will as he will.

— Arthur Schopenhauer

A man never feels the want of what it never occurs to him to ask for.

— Arthur Schopenhauer

Anti-intellectualism has long been the anti-Semitism of the businessman.

— Arthur Schopenhauer

Any book which is at all important should be re-read immediately.

— Arthur Schopenhauer

Any foolish boy can stamp on a beetle, but all the professors in the world cannot make a beetle.

— Arthur Schopenhauer

A precondition for reading good books is not reading bad ones: for life is short.

— Arthur Schopenhauer

A sense of humor is the only divine quality of man

— 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 than a much smaller amount if you have not thought it over for yourself.

— 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.

— Arthur Schopenhauer

[A]t bottom it is the same with traveling as with reading. How often do we complain that we cannot remember one thousandth part of what we read! In both cases, however, we may console ourselves with the reflection that the things we see and read make an impression on the mind before they are forgotten, and so contribute to its formation and nurture…

— Arthur Schopenhauer