Dingo the Dissident

THE BLOG OF DISQUIET : Qweir Notions, an uncommonplace-book from the Armpit of Diogenes, binge-thinker jottings since 2008 .

Monday, 21 October 2013

Schopenhauer wrote to a dying friend:

'You are ceasing to be
what you never should have been
or become'.

But the desire for death
is locked in combat
with the fear of mortal pain.

4 comments:

Martin said...

Do you happen to have the original, German text around? I could not find it.

Cheers,
Martin

Wofl said...

I'm sorry, Martin. I can't find the original, either. There are 74 pages of Schopenhauer Zitate in German !

http://www.aphorismen.de/suche?f_autor=3374_Arthur+Schopenhauer

Martin said...

It is actually directed towards a hypothetical friend and a quote from "Die Welt als Wille und Vorstellung."

Dennoch ist er es, der im Todesangst leidenden Individuo verzagt, indem er der, durch das principium individuationis hervorgebrachten Täuschung unterliegt, daß seine Existenz auf die des jetzt sterbenden Wesens beschränkt
sei: diese Täuschung gehört zu dem schweren Traum, in welchen er als Wille zum Leben verfallen ist. Aber man könnte zu dem Sterbenden sagen:
»Du hörst auf, etwas zu seyn, welches du besser gethan hättest, nie zu werden.«


For more context grab tome II, §41, you will find that sentence in the last quarter of it. Those marvellous, bilious addenda to the fourth book! Time to read the whole two tomes thoroughly for the first time this winter.

Wofl said...

Thank you very much for this, Martin. I am very grateful. Also that you took the time to research the great work 'The World as Will and Appearance'. (or Presentation, or Phenomenon...)