We can come to look upon the deaths of our enemies with as much regret as we feel for those of our friends, namely, when we miss their existence as witnesses to our success.
Arthur SchopenhauerRead
No one knows what capacities for doing and suffering he has in himself, until something comes to rouse them to activity: just as in a pond of still water, lying there like a mirror, there is no sign of the roar and thunder with which it can leap from the precipice, and yet remain what it is; or again, rise high in the air as a fountain. When water is as cold as ice, you can have no idea of the latent warmth contained in it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that one's potential and inner strength remain hidden until circumstances call them into action.
Arthur Schopenhauer highlights the idea that every individual possesses capabilities that are dormant, waiting for an external stimulus to awaken them. He uses the metaphor of still water, which conceals its dynamic potential, to illustrate that true abilities and resilience often emerge only when faced with challenges, much like the latent warmth in ice-cold water that can manifest under the right conditions.
Themes
PotentialStrengthChallengeAwakeningCapacities
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech, to inspire resilience: 'As Schopenhauer said, we often don't know our true potential until we face challenges.'
More from Arthur Schopenhauer
All quotes →To be shocked at how deeply rejection hurts is to ignore what acceptance involves. We must never allow our suffering to be compounded by suggestions that there is something odd in suffering so deeply. There would be something amiss if we didn't.
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Almost all of our sorrows spring out of our relations with other people.
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Life is full of troubles and vexations, that one must either rise above it by means of corrected thoughts, or leave it.
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Our religions will never at any time take root; the ancient wisdom of the human race will not be supplanted by the events in Galilee. On the contrary, Indian wisdom flows back to Europe, and will produce a fundamental change in our knowledge and thought.
Arthur SchopenhauerRead
We will gradually become indifferent to what goes on in the minds of other people when we acquire a knowledge of the superficial nature of their thoughts, the narrowness of their views and of the number of their errors. Whoever attaches a lot of value to the opinions of others pays them too much honor.
Arthur SchopenhauerRead
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