Q0399
“What a person is stands far more in his power than what…” — Arthur Schopenhauer (Parerga and Paralipomena, Aphorisms on the…)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Parerga and Paralipomena, Aphorisms on the Wisdom of Life. Theme: character.
English
What a person is stands far more in his power than what he has.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Parerga and Paralipomena, Aphorisms on the Wisdom of Life and files it under Voluntarism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Arthur Schopenhauer
Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860) was a German philosopher of pessimism whose The World as Will and Representation fused Kantian phenomena with a blind metaphysical will. Largely ignored while Hegel dominated Berlin, he later won fame influencing artists and psychologists.
How to read this passage
Across 4 recurring voices here (notably Arthur Schopenhauer and Heraclitus), character is framed through Confucianism and Voluntarism. Some passages define character; others warn how it fails; still others relocate it inside habit, community, or language. This passage enters that discussion through character, wisdom.
Concepts in this quote
- Character
- Character appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat character as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
- Wisdom
- Wisdom is practical insight under uncertainty: knowing what matters, what one does not know, and how to act without false certainty.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Arthur Schopenhauer. (n.d.). What a person is stands far more in his power than what he has. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0399
MLA: Arthur Schopenhauer. “What a person is stands far more in….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0399.
Chicago: Arthur Schopenhauer. “What a person is stands far more in….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0399.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “What a person is stands far more in…”?
The passage is attributed to Arthur Schopenhauer, Parerga and Paralipomena, Aphorisms on the Wisdom of Life. The archive attributes this English wording to Parerga and Paralipomena, Aphorisms on the Wisdom of Life and files it under Voluntarism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Arthur Schopenhauer mean by character?
Across 4 recurring voices here (notably Arthur Schopenhauer and Heraclitus), character is framed through Confucianism and Voluntarism. Some passages define character; others warn how it fails; still others relocate it inside habit, community, or language. This passage enters that discussion through character, wisdom.