"Having recognized the inmost essence of the world as *will*,and all its phenomena--from the unconscious working of the obscure forces of Nature up to the completely conscious action of man--as only the objectivity of that will,we shall in no way avoid the conclusion that together with the voluntary renunciation and self-destruction of the will all those phenomena also disappear,that constant striving and effort without aim or rest on all the stages of objectivity in which and through which the world exists;the diversity of successive forms will disappear,and together with the form all the manifestations of will,with its most universal forms,space and time,and finally its most fundamental form--subject and object.Without will there is no concept and no world.Before us,certainly,nothing remains.But what resists this transition into annihilation,our nature,is only that same wish to live--*Wille zum Leben*--which forms ourselves as well as our world.That we are so afraid of annihilation or,what is the same thing,that we so wish to live,merely means that we are ourselves nothing else but this desire to live,and know nothing but it.And so what remains after the complete annihilation of the will,for us who are so full of the will,is,of course,nothing;but on the other hand,for those in whom the will has turned and renounced itself,this so real world of ours with all its suns and milky way is nothing."
"Vanity of vanities",says Solomon--"vanity of vanities--all is vanity.What profit hath a man of all his labor which he taketh under the sun?One generation passeth away,and another generation commeth:but the earth abideth for ever....The thing that hath been,is that which shall be;and that which is done is that which shall be done:and there is no new thing under the sun.
Is there anything whereof it may be said,See,this is new?it hath been already of old time,which was before us.there is no remembrance of former things;neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.I the Preacher was King over Israel in Jerusalem.And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven:this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.I have seen all the works that are done under the sun;and behold,all is vanity and vexation of spirit....I communed with my own heart,saying,Lo,I am come to great estate,and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me over Jerusalem:yea,my heart hath great experience of wisdom and knowledge.And I gave my heart to know wisdom,and to know madness and folly:I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.For in much wisdom is much grief:and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
"I said in my heart,Go to now,I will prove thee with mirth,therefore enjoy pleasure:and behold this also is vanity.I said of laughter,It is mad:and of mirth,What doeth it?I sought in my heart how to cheer my flesh with wine,and while my heart was guided by wisdom,to lay hold on folly,till I might see what it was good for the sons of men that they should do under heaven the number of the days of their life.I made me great works;I builded me houses;I planted me vineyards;I made me gardens and orchards,and I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruits:I made me pools of water,to water therefrom the forest where trees were reared:I got me servants and maidens,and had servants born in my house;
Also I had great possessions of herds and flocks above all that were before me in Jerusalem:I gathered me also silver and gold and the peculiar treasure from kings and from the provinces:I got me men singers and women singers;and the delights of the sons of men,as musical instruments and all that of all sorts.So I was great,and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem:also my wisdom remained with me.And whatever mine eyes desired I kept not from them.I withheld not my heart from any joy....Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought,and on the labour that I had laboured to do:and,behold,all was vanity and vexation of spirit,and there was no profit from them under the sun.And I turned myself to behold wisdom,and madness,and folly....But I perceived that one even happeneth to them all.
