Arthur Schopenhauer, philosopher: “The ordinary man is concerned with how to pass the time; the intelligent man, with how to use it”
Schopenhauer reflected on time, solitude, and life. Learn the meaning of his famous quote and some of his best reflections
We all have the same 24 hours, but there is a question that can completely change the way we live that time: are we trying to fill it, or are we really choosing what to do with it? That difference appears in one of the phrases attributed to the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer , whose work was marked by his reflections on existence, desire, and everyday life.
Born in Danzig in 1788 and died in Frankfurt in 1860 , Schopenhauer was one of the most important thinkers of the 19th century . His best-known work, The World as Will and Representation, put forward a profoundly pessimistic view of existence, although he also devoted space to issues much closer to daily life.
What does this Schopenhauer quote mean?
The phrase appears in Parerga and Paralipomena , a work published in 1851 that brings together essays and thoughts by Schopenhauer. In it, the philosopher addresses different aspects of human behavior and everyday life.
The idea can be understood in a fairly simple way: not everything we do during the day necessarily represents a good use of our time.
Spending hours in front of a cellphone, seeking entertainment out of boredom, or keeping a full schedule can make the day go by quickly. But that does not mean, from Schopenhauer 's perspective, that we have truly decided what to do with our hours.
Reflection also doesn't mean that resting or having fun is a waste of time. Rather, it invites us to ask ourselves which activities we choose and which ones we do simply out of habit.
What are Arthur Schopenhauer's best quotes?
In addition to his reflections on time, Schopenhauer wrote about solitude, wealth, music, personality, and human relationships. Among the phrases that are usually associated with the thought of Schopenhauer are:
“Wealth is like salt water; the more one drinks, the thirstier one becomes.”
“Each person has the maximum memory for what interests them and the minimum for what does not interest them.”
“Solitude is the fate of all excellent minds.”
“In music all feelings return to their pure state.”
“Envy in men shows how unhappy they feel.”
“Anger does not allow us to know what we are doing, much less what we are saying.”
“Fate shuffles the cards, and we play them.”
Beyond agreeing or not with the pessimistic vision of Schopenhauer , his phrases continue to provoke a fairly current question: if time is limited, what are we really doing with it?
And perhaps that is where the relevance of this Schopenhauer reflection lies. In the coming years, with more and more forms of entertainment and distraction within reach of a phone, managing time does not necessarily mean doing more things, but deciding which ones deserve to occupy our hours.
