Tag: quick insights

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    Montaigne: The shortest path to personal growth

    What if I told you the biggest obstacle to personal growth… is pushing too hard for personal growth? Sounds backwards, right? But that’s exactly what the 16th-century philosopher Michel de Montaigne figured out. Most people think that personal growth means endless introspection. Journaling for hours. Analysing every emotion. Constantly asking, “Who am I?” Montaigne thought…

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    Schopenhauer: Do not confuse realism with pessimism

    We have all been told that Arthur Schopenhauer was the most pessimistic philosopher in history. But I think that’s wrong. In fact, I think most people who call him a pessimist have not understood what he was saying. Here’s the real question. If a glass is only 20% full, is saying “it’s almost empty” pessimistic?…

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    Schopenhauer: How to stop making the same mistakes twice

    How do we stop making the same mistakes twice? I used to think that the answer was simple, that all it takes is to have more discipline and try harder. But that didn’t work. Then I came across Schopenhauer, and he said something that changed how I see things. He said that human beings cannot…

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    Michel de Montaigne: Why problems make us wiser

    Problems make us wiser even if most people actually hate them. That’s why the first sign of trouble sends them into panic. They see problems as interruptions to life, while in reality, problems are just the price we pay to be alive. The French philosopher Michel de Montaigne gained this insight more than 400 years…

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    Aristotle: The most dangerous idea in modern culture

    The most dangerous idea in modern culture would sound completely insane to Aristotle. I am talking about the idea that you can be anything you want. Aristotle regarded the idea of random potential as nonsense. Over 2,300 years ago, Aristotle asked a question that still divides people today: Does everything have a true nature? He…

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    Schopenhauer: The biggest lie we tell ourselves every day

    The biggest lie we tell ourselves every day is that we are thinking rationally, but in reality, we are not as logical as we think. Arthur Schopenhauer, one of history’s most crucial thinkers, argued that most of our decisions are not driven by logic. They are driven by something that he called “the Will”, an…