Arthur Schopenhauer discussion

Use this thread to discuss "Psychological Observations."

One worry I've frequently had with reading philosophy is whether I'm wasting my time or not. I'm never really sure what I'm reading will stick in my mind any longer than a day at most, and then I'll forget it.

I was comforted by Schopenhauer's comparison of reading with traveling in "Psychological Observations":

"we may console ourselves with the reflection that the things we see and read make an impression on the mind before they are forgotten, and so contribute to its formation and nurture; while that which we only remember does no more than stuff it and puff it out, filling up its hollows with matter that will always be strange to it, and leaving it in itself a blank."

Not only does this give me a new way of approaching vacations, but hopefully I won't be worried about not absorbing philosophical material. Something will stick.