A Letter From Your Mother

Arthur Schopenhauer.

Check out this letter from Johanna Schopenhauer to her son Arthur Schopenhauer, dated 6^th November 1807.

'You are not an evil human; you are not without intellect and education; you have everything that could make you a credit to human society. Moreover, I am acquainted with your heart and know that few are better, but you are nevertheless irritating and unbearable, and I consider it most difficult to live with you.

'All of your good qualities become obscured by your super-cleverness and are made useless to the world merely because of your rage at wanting to know everything better than others; of wanting to improve and master what you cannot command. With this you embitter the people around you, since no one wants to be improved or enlightened in such a forceful way, least of all by such an insignificant individual as you still are; no one can tolerate being reproved by you, who also still show so many weaknesses yourself, least of all in your adverse manner, which in oracular tones, proclaims this is so and so, without ever supposing an objection.

'If you were less like you, you would only be ridiculous, but thus as you are, you are highly annoying.'

The letter speaks for itself in hilarity. We hope it’s real. The burn is.

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