About The Wisdom of Life
What it's about
Schopenhauer asks what really makes a life happy, and sorts the answer into three things: what you are, what you have, and what others think of you. He argues the first matters far more than the other two.
Who it's for
Readers who like honest, slightly gloomy advice about happiness, and anyone who has read Schopenhauer quotes and wants the full argument.
- Level
- CEFR B2
- Length
- 3 parts · about 1,100 words
- Reading time
- about 9 minutes (~3 min per part)
- Author
- Arthur Schopenhauer
If you liked this, read
- Meditations · B2
- Thus Spoke Zarathustra · B2
- The Art of Money Getting · B2
Looking for something easier or harder? See Easy English books by level (A1–B2).
Reading The Wisdom of Life in English: quick answers
- What English level is The Wisdom of Life on SeoJae Story?
- The Wisdom of Life by Arthur Schopenhauer is retold in simplified English at CEFR B2 (upper-intermediate). It is split into 3 short parts, and every sentence has a Korean translation you can show or hide, so a learner at that level can follow the story without a dictionary.
- Is The Wisdom of Life hard to read in English?
- The original is written for native readers, with long sentences and older vocabulary, so most learners find it hard. This retelling keeps the story but uses simpler English at CEFR B2 (upper-intermediate), so if you read English at that level you can follow it, and the Korean translation is there for any line that stops you. If it feels too hard, start with an easier book one level down.
- How long does it take to read The Wisdom of Life in simple English?
- About 9 minutes of reading in total — roughly 3 minutes per part across 3 parts. Listening to the audio narration, reviewing the vocabulary and taking each part's comprehension check adds a little more.
- Is this the full, unabridged text of The Wisdom of Life?
- No. It is an abridged graded retelling written for English learners that follows the story of the original in 3 parts. Every part also lets you read the matching unabridged chapters from the original, split into short readings.
- Is The Wisdom of Life free to read here?
- Yes. All 3 parts are free to read online, with the Korean translation, audio narration, vocabulary flashcards and comprehension questions included.
- Is The Wisdom of Life in the public domain?
- Yes. Arthur Schopenhauer's The Wisdom of Life is in the public domain, and the original text is freely available from Project Gutenberg (eBook #10741). SeoJae Story's simplified retelling and Korean translation are original text written for learners.