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
To find out your real opinion of someone, judge the impression you have when you first see a letter from them.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Our initial impressions reveal our true feelings towards others, reflected in how we respond to their letters.
This quote by Arthur Schopenhauer suggests that the first emotional reaction we experience upon seeing a letter from someone can provide significant insight into our genuine feelings about that person. It implies that our subconscious attitudes are often revealed in these spontaneous responses, which can reveal deeper truths about our relationships.
Themes
First ImpressionOpinionRelationshipsJudgmentLetter
In practice
Example use cases
In a public speaking engagement about the importance of communication, one might quote Schopenhauer to emphasize how initial impressions affect relationships.
More from Arthur Schopenhauer
All quotes βTo 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.
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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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