Aphorisms on the Wisdom of Life

Aphorisms of Everyday Wisdom is a treatise by the German philosopher of irrationalism Arthur Schopenhauer. The cheapest kind of pride is national pride. It reveals in the infected subject a lack of individual qualities he could be proud of—because otherwise he wouldn’t appeal to what is shared by many millions of people besides him. Those who have great personal merits, when constantly observing their nation, will above all notice its shortcomings. But the miserable person who has nothing to be proud of grabs onto the only thing possible and prides himself on the nation he belongs to, ready with a feeling of tender affection to defend all its flaws and foolishness. Arthur Schopenhauer