The Wisdom of Life

Schopenhauer in Iambic Pentameter

By: Arthur Schopenhauer, Old Order Transtheist

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

The Poetry of Life

What could be better than Arthur Schopenhauer’s wisdom arranged in iambic pentameter? To savor his thought rhythmically, to let oneself be immersed in the ambience of his ideas, is a primal joy.

In this case, we arrange his book The Wisdom of Life* in poetical form, allowing us to hear again some of his thoughts on life.

As he begins this volume:

What one is, in the secret of the self,
What walks with him in solitude alone,
Untouched by gift or theft from anyone,
Outweighs all wealth and borrowed praise from some.
For what he owns, or seems to other eyes,
Stands outward, accidental, not his core;
Such things may bless him once, then fade away,
But inward nature holds its changeless ground,
And so our deepest happiness is this:
To know the shape and tenor of ourselves.

Yes, our happiness is really that close to us, within us. And yet we often deprive ourselves, our selfhood, of this deepest happiness.

Enjoy reading and then listening within.