Politeness is to human nature what warmth is to wax. -Arthur Schopenhauer,
philosopher (1788-1860)

As much as I like the daily word and the word placed in a context I look out for the daily quote or statement.
Most of the time I smile in regognition or pleasant surprise.
The above one I somehow feel is a little , well what could I call it?

Right; obviously warmth will melt the wax but then the wax is either burned into nothing or turned into a shapeless puddle (muddle?)
So what a strange comparison. If you take it through litterally it would mean human nature would disappear just like the wax.
That's what according to Shopenhauer politeness does to human nature.
It makes it melt, disappear.

Is this meant as a positive qualification of politeness or just the opposite? I really think this is an unstable sort of a statememt.
Don't know exactly how to define it.