"Man and likewise the other animals is not born to enjoy life, but only to perpetuate life, to communicate to others who come after him, in order to preserve it. Neither he, himself, nor life, nor anything in this world is properly for him. On the contrary, his entire being is for life.
A terrifying, but a true proposition and conclusion of all metaphysics. Existence is not for the existent being, does not have for its end the existent being, nor the good of the existent being. If there is any experience of good, that is purely by chance. The existent being is for existence, entirely for existence, so that this is its only real end. Existent beings exist so that existence exists. The individual existent being is born and exists so that existence continues and so that existence may be preserved through him and after him.
All this is clear from seeing that the true and only end of nature is the preservation of the species and not the preservation, or the happiness of individuals, which happiness does not even exist at all in the world, not for individuals, nor for the species. On the basis of this, we have necessarily to arrive and at a general summary, supreme and terrible conclusion mentioned above."
— Giaccomo Leopardi, _Zibaldone_