16 Quotes by Michael Szymczyk

We do not need to look beyond this life to judge the significance of most human relationships.

Freundshaft, or Friendship has a valuable character only if one can be a friend oneself to others without seeking any friendship in return. On the other hand, one should be mindful, and not value and be distracted by those who suffer dishonorable habits and whose style of life we should not seek after.

Suffering makes valid the act of significance in the moment, in the moment we suffer, suffering has total significance. We feel in the act of suffering as if our suffering will never end, as if we had spent an entire life suffering, but all this gives way to a moment in which we do not suffer. Given enough time our suffering becomes insignificant. A person would do well to keep this in mind. They would do even better to take measures to reduce the factors that cause suffering in their lives.

Regarding our dealings with other people: Expect nothing, receive everything.

Our relationships with other people lose significance in time. With each goodbye we expect less and less from each hello. This does not mean, of course, that we should stop from saying hello.

The value of philosophy is not so much that different than the value we have for music. The value of philosophy lies in the aesthetic effect it can have on the life of man. It makes life beautiful despite its insignificance.

If one experiences unrequited love, it helps to read Lucretius.