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About this quote

What does it mean?
If we were not self‑absorbed, life would be unbearably boring and unendurable.
In plain terms
Self‑interest makes life tolerable; without it, existence would be dull.
What can you take from it?
Recognize that a degree of self‑focus adds meaning to life.

Where it applies

  • philosophical reflection
  • personal development
  • social dynamics

Putting it to work

  • balance self‑care with altruism
  • find personal passions
  • engage in self‑reflection

Questions to consider

  • How much self‑interest is healthy?
  • What alternatives exist meaningful beyond self?

Another view

Excessive self‑absorption can harm relationships.

More from Arthur Schopenhauer

  1. I was very fond of them, if only they would have had me.

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  2. In every page of David Hume, there is more to be learned than from Hegel's, Herbart's and Schleiermacher's complete philosophical works.

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  3. I was gripped by the misery of life as Buddha was in his youth when he saw sickness, old age, pain and death ... This world could not have been the work of an …

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