The Essays of Arthur Schopenhauer

Arthur Schopenhauer was born on February 22, 1788 in Danzig, Poland. He was a German philosopher who had pessimistic views of human nature. He died on September 21, 1860, in Frankfurt, Germany. He had written a lot of essays about humans and life.

In this book explores the highest level of success and pleasure and suggests living life to its fullest. He explores the concepts of the internal forces and the external interpersonal dynamics as the keys for happiness. He points out three factors that create the human happiness:


1. What a man is – the character, personality, beauty, intelligence, moral character, education and all the other things that shape him as a person;
2. What a man has – possessions and property
3. How a man stands in the estimation of others – the opinion people around him have about him.


The theme of this book is the person’s character, the way it is shaped and its influence on living a happy and successful life. The author begins his book by stating the three factors mentioned above. Then, the rest of the book analyses the three factors and their importance for human happiness.

In this book you will read about:


1. Division of the subject
2. Personality, or What a Man Is.
3. Property, or What a Man Has.
4. Position, or a Man’s Place in the Estimation of Others.