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November 15, 2007
the genius lives a double life
Those are happiest of all who are conscious of the power to produce great works animated by some significant purpose: it gives a higher kind of interest-a sort of rare flavor- to the whole of their life, which, by its absence from the life of the ordinary man, makes it, in comparison, something very insipid. For richly endowed natures, life and the world have a special interest beyond the mere everyday personal interest which so many others share; and something higher than that-a formal interest. It is from life and the world that they get the material for their works; and as soon as they are freed from the pressure of personal needs, it is to the diligent collection of material that they devote their whole existence. So with their intellect: it is to some extent of a twofold character, and devoted partly to the ordinary affairs of every day – those matters of will which are common to them and the rest of mankind, and partly to their peculiar work – the pure and objective contemplation of existence. And while, on the stage of the world, most men play their little part and then pass away, the genius lives a double life, at once an actor and a spectator.
Schopenhauer - Counsels and Maxims
Posted by amin at November 15, 2007 12:53 AM