Arthur Schopenhauer Quotes on Philosophy

About Arthur Schopenhauer

German philosopher best known for The World as Will and Representation. He viewed the world as driven by irrational will and embraced ideas from Indian philosophy. Though overlooked in his time, his pessimistic philosophy later influenced fields like literature, psychology, ethics, and aesthetics.

Quote

Talent hits a target no one else can hit. Genius hits a target no one else can see.

—  Arthur Schopenhauer

Analysis

Talent is excelling within the known rules, demonstrating a superior skill that others recognize but cannot replicate. Genius operates outside of those rules, creating something fundamentally new by seeing a possibility that was previously unimaginable to anyone else.

Action Items

  • Practice to achieve the difficult goals others can see.
  • Cultivate the vision to identify goals nobody has imagined.
  • Create new targets instead of only aiming at existing ones.