Full Idea
Another fact of consciousness ...is the wholly clear and certain feeling of responsibility for what we do, of the accountability of our actions, which rests on the unshakable certainty that we ourselves are the doers of our deeds.
Gist of Idea
We clearly feel responsible for our deeds, because we are quite certain that we did them
Source
Arthur Schopenhauer (On the Freedom of the Will [1841], p.93-4), quoted by Christopher Janaway - Schopenhauer 7 'Freedom'
Book Reference
Janaway,Christopher: 'Schopenhauer' [OUP 2002], p.95
A Reaction
The point is that we have this feeling even if we do not believe in free will. I am struck by the fact that responsibility is very obvious in our own case, even if it is not when we objectively consider other people. Even villains can feel guilty.