Classics Literature Philosophy

The Art of War was written in the sixth century BC by the high-ranking military general and strategist Sun Tzu. Though it is most commonly known as an ancient Chinese military treatise, The Art of War has become more versatile and is currently being used worldwide in business management.

Thought Relics, first published in 1921, is a collection of untitled verses that bridge the gap between meditations and prose. Originally written in English by Tagore, these poetic aphorisms are a dreamy blend of mysticism, philosophy, introspection, and spiritual discovery.

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was an American author, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, surveyor, and historian. The essay "Wild Apples" first appeared in the Atlantic Monthly in 1862. It begins with a history of the apple tree, chronicling its journey from Ancient Greece to America. The author compares the history of the apple to that of mankind, contemplating it with a tragic eye. He considered the idea of wildness not as sinful, but the source of creativity.

Nietzsches einziger sprachphilosophischer Essay, geschrieben 1873, veröffentlich 1896, vorgetragen von Benjamin Lucas.

This rather incoherent work by Russian anarchist philosopher Michael Bakunin is described in a way that he described his own life: a fragment. Rife with criticisms on Christianity and the technocracy, Bakunin presses communist values without fear of bordering extremism. Listening to this work is like walking through Bakunin’s disjointed mind; often cutting off and starting mid-sentence, including footnotes several paragraphs long as if his thoughts suddenly start to wander, as well as ending rather abruptly mid-sentence.

In 1775 the American colonies were a hotbed of political discord. Many of the British policies, specifically taxes, had caused American colonial leaders to consider the unthinkable: declaring independence from the British Empire and its King George. One such leader, Thomas Paine, wrote Common Sense: a pamphlet that explained the advantages of immediate and complete independence.

This gripping tale of the future anticipates Ayn Rand's later masterpieces, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. In the dark ages of the future, individuals have no name, no independence, and no values. In this faceless world, one man dares to love the woman of his choice and to seek and find knowledge.

Este tratado de estrategia fue escrito hace más de 2000 años. Sin embargo, sorprende por su vigencia y por la claridad de sus explicaciones, comprensibles para cualquier lector. El autor ha visto claramente los aspectos de la guerra y de la estrategia que no cambian con el paso del tiempo. Leyendo sus páginas se comprende que el triunfo no está necesariamente en manos del más fuerte, sino del más inteligente.

The Prince is a treatise that systematically charts the best strategies for successful governing. It unapologetically places realism above idealism, showing would-be kings how to get what they want while appearing to be generous and honourable, and advocates that the means — cruelty, duplicity and horror —justify the ends of secure monarchical rule. But it can also be read as the work of a secret republican subtly undermining the despotism of the ruling Medici family.

Published in 1532 five years after Machiavelli’s death, the philosophies and implications introduced in the manifesto are continually referenced by today’s top business executives for insight into leadership, political theory, and ethics.

The Art of War is an ancient Chinese military treatise dating from about the fifth century BCE. The work contains a detailed explanation and analysis of the Chinese military, from weapons and strategy to rank and discipline. It also stresses the importance of intelligence operatives and espionage to the war effort.

Chi è più sapiente? Colui che dice di sapere o colui che sa di non sapere? Su questo bivio del pensiero Socrate ha fondato la sua vita e imposta ora la sua autodifesa: stringente, appassionante, inoppugnabile. La fine è nota. E tuttavia Socrate non perde la sua forza: perché anche la morte può essere un’avventura, di silenzio o di conversazione.

Dass dieses zu seinem Glücke viel mehr beiträgt, als was er hat, oder was er vorstellt, haben wir bereits im allgemeinen erkannt. Immer kommt es darauf an, was einer sei und demnach an sich selber habe: denn seine Individualität begleitet ihn stets und überall, und von ihr ist alles tingiert, was er erlebt.

Die Grenze unserer vernünftigen Wünsche hinsichtlich des Besitzes zu bestimmen ist schwierig, wo nicht unmöglich. Denn die Zufriedenheit eines jeden, in dieser Hinsicht, beruht nicht auf einer absoluten sondern auf einer bloß relativen Größe, nämlich auf dem Verhältnis zwischen seinen Ansprüchen und seinem Besitz: daher dieser letztere, für sich allein betrachtet, so bedeutungsleer ist wie der Zähler eines Bruchs ohne den Nenner.

Was einer ist: also die Persönlichkeit, im weitesten Sinne, Sonach ist hierunter Gesundheit, Kraft, Schönheit, Temperament, moralischer Charakter, Intelligenz und Ausbildung derselben begriffen. / Was einer hat: also Eigentum und Besitz in jeglichem Sinne. / Was einer vorstellt: unter diesem Ausdruck wird bekanntlich verstanden, was er in der Vorstellung anderer ist, also eigentlich, wie er von ihnen vorgestellt wird. Es besteht demnach in ihrer Meinung von ihm, und zerfällt in Ehre, Rang und Ruhm.

"Wir treten in die Welt voll Ansprüche auf Glück und Genuss, bis das Schicksal uns unsanft packt und uns zeigt, dass nichts unser ist, sondern alles seins - da es ein unbestreitbares Recht hat nicht nur auf uns, sondern auf allen unseren Besitz und Erwerb, auch auf Arm und Bein, Auge und Ohr, ja sogar auf die Nase mitten im Gesicht."

Mit "Also sprach Zarathustra" hat Nietzsche ein faszinierendes Hauptwerk geschaffen, einen Meilenstein der Weltliteratur. In drei zentralen Formeln fasst er seine Philosophie zusammen: der Wille zur Macht, die ewige Wiederkehr des Gleichen und der Übermensch. "Gott ist tot."

Building on and enriching ideas set forth in Self-Reliance, Emerson argues that true heroism is self-confidence and persistency in the face of corrosive pressures to conform to society.

The essay on Prudence was given as a lecture in a course on Human Culture in the winter of 1837-8. It was published in the first series of essays, which appeared in 1841. In it, Emerson describes Prudence as, "The virtue of the senses and admits to having little of it in himself."

Kate Chopin’s A Reflection is a reflection on the fortunes of life. It is a meditation on how some people succeed by harnessing their energy effectively while others get left behind.