All society necessarily involves, as the first condition of its existence, mutual accommodation and restraint upon the part of its members. This means that the larger it is, the more insipid will be its tone. A man can be himself only so long as he is alone; and if he does not love solitude, he will not love freedom; for it is only when he is alone that he is really free. Constraint is always present in society, like a companion of whom there is no riddance; and in proportion to the greatness of a man’s individuality, it will be hard for him to bear the sacrifices which all intercourse with others demands, Solitude will be welcomed or endured or avoided, according as a man’s personal value is large or small,—the wretch feeling, when he is alone, the whole burden of his misery; the great intellect delighting in its greatness; and everyone, in short, being just what he is.
From Schopenhauer’s Counsels and Maxims, translated by T. Bailey Saunders.
oh I love the sound of Schopenhauer in the morning . . ,
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Reblogged this on I'm the heroine of the story.
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I just gave an oral presentation on solitude, saying it was my non-stable good of my life, well, I don’t know whether it is right or not, but I feel right, and I feel the sense of free.
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Reblogged this on Reflection on learning and commented:
I have the same feeling of it, this blog can somehow convey my feeling.
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It took me over 60 years to value solitude. Now I enjoy being alone and am much better with people when they are present. Now, if I could just leave all the people in my mind outside the door.
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