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December 10, 2019 - December 12, 2024
and for the first time in his life he realised the whole horror of that loneliness to which, perhaps, all greatness is condemned. But to be forsaken is something very different from deliberately choosing blessed loneliness.
one can speak with the utmost clearness, and yet not be heard by any one."
Bless the cup that is about to overflow, that the water may flow golden out of it, and carry everywhere the reflection of thy bliss!
Too well do I know those godlike ones: they insist on being believed in, and that doubt is sin. Too well, also, do I know what they themselves most believe in.
Every one being allowed to learn to read, ruineth in the long run not only writing but also thinking.
He that writeth in blood and proverbs doth not want to be read, but learnt by heart.
It is true we love life; not because we are wont to live, but because we are wont to love.
There is always some madness in love. But there is always, also, some method in madness.
I learned to walk; since then have I let myself run. I learned to fly; since then I do not need pushing in order to move from a spot.
Now am I light, now do I fly; now do I see myself under myself. Now there danceth a God in me.—
If ye believed more in life, then would ye devote yourselves less to the momentary. But for waiting, ye have not enough of capacity in you—nor even for idling!
I know the hatred and envy of your hearts. Ye are not great enough not to know of hatred and envy. Then be great enough not to be ashamed of them!
Ye shall be those whose eyes ever seek for an enemy—for YOUR enemy. And with some of you there is hatred at first sight.
You I advise not to work, but to fight. You I advise not to peace, but to victory. Let your work be a fight, let your peace be a victory!
War and courage have done more great things than charity. Not your sympathy, but your bravery hath hitherto saved the victims.
Ye shall only have enemies to be hated, but not enemies to be despised. Ye must be proud of your enemies; then, the successes of your enemies are also your successes.
Let your love to life be love to your highest hope; and let your highest hope be the highest thought of life!
Our faith in others betrayeth wherein we would fain have faith in ourselves. Our longing for a friend is our betrayer.
And often with our love we want merely to overleap envy. And often we attack and make ourselves enemies, to conceal that we are vulnerable.
I teach you the friend and his overflowing heart. But one must know how to be a sponge, if one would be loved by overflowing hearts.
"Much hath Zarathustra spoken also to us women, but never spake he unto us concerning woman." And I answered her: "Concerning woman, one should only talk unto men." "Talk also unto me of woman," said she; "I am old enough to forget it presently." And I obliged the old woman and spake thus unto her: Everything in woman is a riddle, and everything in woman hath one solution—it is called pregnancy. Man is for woman a means: the purpose is always the child. But what is woman for man? Two different things wanteth the true man: danger and diversion. Therefore wanteth he woman, as the most dangerous
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When, however, ye have an enemy, then return him not good for evil: for that would abash him. But prove that he hath done something good to you.
Did ye ever know this? Shared injustice is half justice. And he who can bear it, shall take the injustice upon himself!
No longer willing, and no longer valuing, and no longer creating! Ah, that that great debility may ever be far from me!
If I must be pitiful, I dislike to be called so; and if I be so, it is preferably at a distance.
Since humanity came into being, man hath enjoyed himself too little: that alone, my brethren, is our original sin! And when we learn better to enjoy ourselves, then do we unlearn best to give pain unto others, and to contrive pain. Therefore do I wash the hand that hath helped the sufferer; therefore do I wipe also my soul. For in seeing the sufferer suffering—thereof was I ashamed on account of his shame; and in helping him, sorely did I wound his pride. Great obligations do not make grateful, but revengeful; and when a small kindness is not forgotten, it becometh a gnawing worm.
And not to him who is offensive to us are we most unfair, but to him who doth not concern us at all.
"Here are priests: but although they are mine enemies, pass them quietly and with sleeping swords! Even among them there are heroes; many of them have suffered too much—: so they want to make others suffer.
What the father hath hid cometh out in the son; and oft have I found in the son the father's revealed secret.
My happiness in bestowing died in bestowing; my virtue became weary of itself by its abundance!
Whatever cannot obey itself, is commanded. Such is the nature of living things.
I heard—namely, that commanding is more difficult than obeying. And not only because the commander beareth the burden of all obeyers, and because this burden readily crusheth him:—
And let everything break up which—can break up by our truths! Many a house is still to be built!—
All evil do I accredit to thee: therefore do I desire of thee the good. Verily, I have often laughed at the weaklings, who think themselves good because they have crippled paws!
It is difficult to live amongst men, because silence is so difficult— especially for a babbler."—
"He who climbeth on the highest mountains, laugheth at all tragic plays and tragic realities."—ZARATHUSTRA,
Man, however, is the most courageous animal: thereby hath he overcome every animal. With sound of triumph hath he overcome every pain; human pain, however, is the sorest pain.
"Happiness runneth after me. That is because I do not run after women. Happiness, however, is a woman."
Some of them WILL, but most of them are WILLED. Some of them are genuine, but most of them are bad actors. There are actors without knowing it amongst them, and actors without intending it—, the genuine ones are always rare, especially the genuine actors.
Of man there is little here: therefore do their women masculinise themselves. For only he who is man enough, will—SAVE THE WOMAN in woman.
To one man, lonesomeness is the flight of the sick one; to another, it is the flight FROM the sick ones.
Everything among them talketh; no one knoweth any longer how to understand. Everything falleth into the water; nothing falleth any longer into deep wells.
Unhappy do I call all those who have only one choice: either to become evil beasts, or evil beast-tamers. Amongst such would I not build my tabernacle.
he who wisheth one day to fly, must first learn standing and walking and running and climbing and dancing:—one doth not fly into flying!
He who cannot command himself shall obey. And many a one CAN command himself, but still sorely lacketh self-obedience!
He who is of the populace wisheth to live gratuitously; we others, however, to whom life hath given itself—we are ever considering WHAT we can best give IN RETURN!
And verily, it is a noble dictum which saith: "What life promiseth US, that promise will WE keep—to life!"
We are both of us genuine ne'er-do-wells and ne'er-do-ills. Beyond good and evil found we our island and our green meadow—we two alone! Therefore must we be friendly to each other! And even should we not love each other from the bottom of our hearts,—must we then have a grudge against each other if we do not love each other perfectly?
the loving one loveth irrespective of reward and requital.
"Strange! Did one ever hear such sensible things out of the mouth of a wise man? And verily, it is the strangest thing in a wise man, if over and above, he be still sensible, and not an ass."
