The issue of education and upbringing is central in Nietzsche's early writings. In this text, the third from the collection of independent texts under the general title "Fleeting Reflections," Nietzsche presents Schopenhauer as the "fleeting" thinker who embodies the ideal of the philosopher-educator. In an era characterized by the subordination of philosophy to foreign and hostile forces (state, economy, etc.) and the general decline of culture, Schopenhauer, thanks to his internal and external struggle, managed to maintain his intellectual autonomy and independent critical stance. Thus, according to Nietzsche, he is a true educator and a model of a free philosophical thinker.

This work by Nietzsche is interesting from many perspectives. It is perhaps the most eloquent testimony to the profound influence Schopenhauer had on Nietzsche; it also simply and vividly exposes the basic aspects of the philosopher's thought during his early period of reflection, while simultaneously revealing how the subsequent Nietzschean reflection began and developed. Finally, it betrays Nietzsche's ambition to become himself, through his reflection, the educator of the new, spiritually free human being.