A Misattribution Corrected

A minor quibble. Your recent post ("Forever Reading . . .") is in error, I'm afraid. After noticing the mistake on more than one occasion throughout several years following your wonderful blog, surely the time has come that I assist a fellow stickler. Schopenahuer did not author the line, "For ever reading, never to be read;" he merely quoted Alexander Pope, who once said, 

"A Lumberhouse of Books in every head,

For ever reading, never to be read." (Dunciad III 189–90) 

I only know the verse myself from reading R.J. Hollingdale's translation of the Great Pessimist's essays and aphorisms, so I can see how one might attribute it thus. But alas, I know how much you honor precision, so I'm compelled to help where I can.  That's it — the first error I've been able to catch since 2005 or so. Excellent work, I'd say.

Ad majorem Dei gloriam!

 

Mr.  Fitzgerald turns out to be correct.  In "On Thinking for Oneself," an essay I had read circa 1980, Schopenhauer does indeed quote Alexander Pope, though only the words "For ever reading, never to be read."  And the reference he gives is a little different: Dunciad iii, 194.

 

I in turn have a quibble with Mr. Fitzgerald's "minor quibble."  A quibble is minor by definition, so 'minor quibble' is a pleonasm.  Pleonasm, however, is but a peccadillo.