From a relatively young age, Schopenhauer wrote various thoughts in a notebook, both his own and those of other thinkers, for his personal use in everyday life. Towards the end of his life, he often spoke to his students about this notebook, which he characterized, borrowing the expression of Marcus Aurelius, as "The Meditations," and intended for publication after his death. However, the notebook mysteriously disappeared after his death. Nevertheless, based on the biography of the philosopher written by one of his students, who is said to have kept the notebook for himself and used it to write down exact excerpts from it, a reliable reconstruction of its content became possible.

The collection of thoughts contained in the notebook makes Schopenhauer's personality and attitude towards life palpable to the reader. The philosopher speaks here about various issues of his personal life and how he deals with them: his financial situation, his relationships with the opposite sex, the fears and anxieties that tormented him, his unwavering conviction regarding his calling and the work he believes has been entrusted to him, his solitude and misanthropy. He speaks about all this engaging in a lively dialogue with other philosophers, thinkers, and poets, deploying his unmistakable personal spirit and style, which is so critical and caustic...