Man, according to Schopenhauer, is driven by continued, unachievable desires, and the gulf between our desires and the possibility of achieving them leads to misery while the world is a representation of an unknowable reality.
Mennesket drives, ifølge Schopenhauer, kontinuerligt af uopnåelige ønsker, og kløften mellem vores ønsker, og muligheden for at indfri dem fører til elendighed, mens verden er en repræsentation af en ukendt virkelighed.