Friedrich Nietzsche Quotes
585 quotes
Friedrich Nietzsche
German Philosopher
585 Quotes
At bottom every man knows well enough that he is a unique being, only once on this earth; and by no extraordinary chance will such a marvelously picturesque piece of diversity in unity as he is, ever be put together a second time
— Untimely Meditations, Schopenhauer as Educator, Section 6
God is dead
— The Gay Science, Book III, Aphorism 125
Whatever is done for love always occurs beyond good and evil
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 153
He who cannot howl will not find his pack
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 'The Way of the Creating One'
The Christian resolve to find the world ugly and bad has made the world ugly and bad
— The Gay Science, Book Five, Section 130
He who possesses great power must also possess great power over himself
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, On the Flies of the Market-Place
To live alone one must be a beast or a god—says Aristotle. Leaving out the third case: one must be both—a philosopher
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows 3
In praise there is more obtrusiveness than in blame
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 357
One does not only wish to be understood when one writes; one wishes just as surely not to be understood
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 192
Talking much about oneself can also be a means to conceal oneself
— Beyond Good and Evil, Section 279
The irrationality of a thing is no argument against its existence, rather a condition of it
— Twilight of the Idols, “Maxims and Arrows,” 3
Whoever despises himself still respects himself as one who despises. This is a saying of Zarathustra
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part I, On the Despisers of the Body
Anyone who fights for freedom of thought must be prepared to make enemies of all who still wish to think for themselves.
— Human, All Too Human, Section 261
A thought, even a possibility, can shatter and transform us
— The Gay Science, Aphorism 285
The snake which cannot shed its skin perishes. So do the spirits who are prevented from changing their opinions; they cease to be spirits
— The Dawn (Daybreak), Aphorism 573
There is an old illusion—it is called good and evil
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows 21
He who would learn to pray must first learn to laugh and to dance; learning to laugh and to dance comes before learning to pray
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Second Part, 'On the Tarantulas'
He who cannot obey himself will be commanded. That is the nature of living creatures
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 'Of the Thousand and One Goals'
All things are subject to interpretation; whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power and not truth
— Nachlass (The Will to Power), Notebook 7, section 481
A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 156
Our vanity is hardest to wound precisely when our pride has just been wounded
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 136
The snake which cannot cast its skin has to die. As well the minds which are prevented from changing their opinions; they cease to be mind
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part One, On the Way of the Creator
In every act of will there is a ruling thought—let us beware of the doctrine of ‘free will’ as if there existed will in isolation
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 19
Whoever lives for the sake of combating an enemy has an interest in the enemy's staying alive
— Ecce Homo, 'Why I Am So Clever', Section 7
Out of life's school of war: What does not destroy me, makes me stronger
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows 8
Become who you are
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part II, On the Blissful Islands
To forget one’s purpose is the commonest form of stupidity
— The Antichrist §29
By means of music the very passions enjoy themselves
— The Birth of Tragedy, Section 6
He who cannot put his thoughts on ice should not enter into the heat of dispute
— Human, All Too Human, Section 638
Whoever does not have a good father should procure one
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part I, On the Flies of the Market-Place
Whoever thinks much is not suitable as a party member; he soon thinks himself right out of the party
— Human, All Too Human, Part One, Section 441
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe
— Untimely Meditations, Schopenhauer as Educator
Love your enemies because they bring out the best in you
— Ecce Homo, Why I Am So Wise
Fear is the mother of morality
— The Dawn, §174
What can be explained is not worth understanding
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 112
He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, On the Mount of Olives
The higher man is distinguished from the lower by his fearlessness and his readiness to challenge misfortune
— The Gay Science, Book IV, Aphorism 276
In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, On Little Old and Young Women
He who has once begun to think, how can he ever stop? And how could he dare to stop?
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 254
Success has always been a great liar
— Beyond Good and Evil, Section 92
Whom do you call bad? Those who always want to put others to shame
— The Gay Science, Book IV, Section 297
What is happiness? The feeling that power increases—that a resistance is overcome
— The Antichrist, §2
Morality is merely an interpretation of certain phenomena—more precisely, a misinterpretation
— The Gay Science, Book Three, Section 108
The will to power is the primitive form of affect; all other affects are only developments of it
— The Will To Power, Note 693
Only great pain is the ultimate liberator of the spirit
— The Gay Science, Preface to the Second Edition
Does my soul fly above its own head, does it go rolling around a greater sphere?
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part Three, ‘The Seven Seals’
He who wishes to be obeyed must know how to command
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part I, ‘Von den Fliegen des Marktes’ (‘Of the Flies of the Marketplace’)
No artist tolerates reality
— Twilight of the Idols, 'Expeditions of an Untimely Man', 8
Truths are illusions which we have forgotten are illusions
— On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense
To predict the behavior of ordinary people in advance, you only have to assume that they will always try to escape a disagreeable situation with the smallest possible expenditure of intelligence
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 68
Is not life a hundred times too short for us to bore ourselves?
— Human, All Too Human, Volume I, Aphorism 227
No price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows 8
He who has peace of heart disturbs neither himself nor another
— The Gay Science, Aphorism 286
There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 'Of the Despisers of the Body'
The value of life cannot be estimated
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows §2
All great things must first wear terrifying and monstrous masks, in order to inscribe themselves on the hearts of humanity
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 40
He who seeks, easily gets lost himself. All loneliness is guilt
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part One, On the Gift-Giving Virtue
Egoism is the very essence of a noble soul
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 265
The future influences the present just as much as the past
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 112
Blessed are the forgetful: for they get the better even of their blunders
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 217
That which is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 153
My loneliness does not depend on the presence or absence of people; on the contrary, I hate those who steal my solitude without offering me true company
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Of the Flies of the Market-Place
He who laughs best today, will also laugh last
— The Gay Science, Book I, Aphorism 16
We love life, not because we are used to living but because we are used to loving
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, On the Gift-Giving Virtue
By searching out origins, one becomes a crab. The historian looks backwards; eventually he also believes backwards
— On the Genealogy of Morality, Preface, Section 7
One repays a teacher badly if one always remains nothing but a pupil
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part I: On the Gift-Giving Virtue, Section 3
He who cannot lie does not know what truth is
— The Antichrist, Section 55
He who lives by fighting with an enemy has an interest in the preservation of the enemy's life
— Ecce Homo, Why I Am So Wise, Section 7
He who cannot put his thoughts on ice should not enter into the heat of dispute
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 319
We should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, The Dancers
When we are tired, we are attacked by ideas we conquered long ago
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 68
No shepherd and one herd! Everybody wants the same, everybody is the same: whoever feels different goes voluntarily into a madhouse
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part I, 'On the Flies of the Marketplace'
There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness
— Beyond Good and Evil, Section 157
Every profound spirit needs a mask
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 40
Many are stubborn in pursuit of the path they have chosen, few in pursuit of the goal
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 219
Hope in reality is the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torments of man
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 71
What is done out of fear is worth nothing
— The Gay Science, Book III, Aphorism 87
Every tradition grows even more venerable—the more remote its origin, the more confused that origin is
— Human, All Too Human, I, 96
He who bows must lose his power; he who wants to have power, must not bow
— The Will to Power, note 871
Madness is something rare in individuals—but in groups, parties, peoples, and ages, it is the rule
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 156
The surest way to spoil a pleasure is to examine your satisfaction
— The Will to Power, Section 494
For what is freedom? That one has the will to assume responsibility for oneself
— Twilight of the Idols, Skirmishes of an Untimely Man §38
Every great philosophy so far has been the personal confession of its author and a kind of involuntary and unconscious memoir
— Beyond Good and Evil, Part 1, Section 6
The man of knowledge must be able not only to love his enemies but also to hate his friends
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, On the Friend
The doer alone learneth
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 'Of the Bestowing Virtue'
In music the passions enjoy themselves
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 106
All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows 34
One must pay dearly for immortality; one has to die several times while one is still alive
— Ecce Homo, 'Why I am so Clever', section 9
All things are poisoned, yet there is nothing without that poison also being the remedy
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part II, The Soothsayer
When we are tired, we are attacked by ideas we conquered long ago
— Beyond Good and Evil, Section 68
All great things must first wear terrifying and monstrous masks, in order to inscribe themselves on the hearts of humanity
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 40
The philosopher must be the bad conscience of his age
— The Genealogy of Morals, Second Essay, Section 24
Love is blind; friendship closes its eyes
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 78
He who does not want to belong to the mass must merely cease taking himself easily
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 29
Whoever must be a creator always annihilates
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 'Of the Bestowing Virtue'
All things are subject to interpretation; whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power and not truth
— The Will to Power, 481
Remorse is like biting into a sour apple: it makes the soul smaller
— Ecce Homo, 'Why I Am So Wise', Section 4
The greatest events—they are not our loudest but our stillest hours
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 'Of the Stillest Hour'
The greatest deeds are thoughts; thoughts that are often the most silent are those that bring the storm
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, On Reading and Writing
In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 'On Little Old and Young Women'
A joke is an epigram on the death of a feeling
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 200
There are no beautiful surfaces without a terrible depth
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 290
Is it better to outwit or to overbear your adversary? He who overbears thereby emboldens his adversary against him; but he who outwits paints his victory before the eyes of even the conquered
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 98
All things are subject to interpretation; whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power and not truth
— The Will to Power, Notebook 7, Section 481
To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows, 12
If you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you
— Beyond Good and Evil, section 146
Against stupidity the very gods themselves contend in vain
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 427
A man’s maturity consists in having found again the seriousness one had as a child at play
— Beyond Good and Evil, Section 94
There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Of the Despisers of the Body
Distrust all those who talk much of their justice
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, "On the Flies of the Market-Place"
He who climbs upon the highest mountains laughs at all tragedies, real or imaginary
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part III, Before Sunrise
One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Prologue
One must pay dearly for immortality; one has to die several times while one is still alive
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part II, 'Of the Famous Wise Men'
Invisible threads are the strongest ties
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 18
One does not hate as long as one has a low esteem of someone, but only when one esteems him as an equal or a superior
— Beyond Good and Evil, §185
All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking.
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows 34
He who despises himself still respects himself as one who despises
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 78
Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 146
Distrust all in whom the impulse to punish is powerful
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 219
Every word is a prejudice
— The Dawn (Daybreak), Aphorism 47
The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently
— The Dawn, 297
Convictions are more dangerous foes of truth than lies
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 483
One must shed the bad taste of wanting to agree with many. 'Good' is no longer good when one's neighbor mouths it
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Of the Way of the Creator
He who has a why to live can bear almost any how
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows 12
At times one remains faithful to a cause only because its opponents do not cease to be insipid
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 103
What does your conscience say? — 'You should become the person you are.'
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part II, Chapter 2
Anyone who has declared someone else to be an idiot, a bad apple, is annoyed when it turns out in the end that he isn’t
— The Gay Science, Aphorism 303
The most perfidious way of harming a cause consists of defending it deliberately with faulty arguments
— The Gay Science, Aphorism 191
The demand to be loved is the greatest of all arrogant presumptions
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 162
He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part I, Chapter 17
He who climbs upon the highest mountains laughs at all tragedies, real or imaginary
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, On Reading and Writing
There is something to be said for the friendliest silence
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 367
He who has reached his ideal, transcends it at the very moment of attainment
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 215
If we train our gaze to see what is distant as if it were close at hand, and to look at everything that took place thousands of years ago as if it were contemporary, we become aware of a great injustice being carried out
— On the Advantage and Disadvantage of History for Life, Section 1
He who has attained only some degree of freedom of mind cannot feel other than a wanderer on the earth
— Human, All Too Human, Part 1, Aphorism 638
The man of knowledge must not only be able to love his enemies, but also to hate his friends
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part One, 'Of the Friend'
We have art in order not to die of the truth
— The Will to Power, Section 822
Freedom is the will to be responsible for ourselves
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows, §38
Active, successful natures act, not according to the dictum 'know thyself,' but as if there hovered before them the commandment: will a self and thou shalt become a self
— Daybreak, Aphorism 174
The higher we soar, the smaller we appear to those who cannot fly
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part III, On the Mount of Olives
One must have a good memory to be able to keep the promises one makes
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 68
Wherever I found a living creature, there I found will to power
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part II, On Self-Overcoming
Never succumb to remorse, but say to yourself: that would have been my star!
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 257
The greatest cure for love is still that time-honoured medicine: love returned
— Beyond Good and Evil, Section 71
All great things must first wear terrifying and monstrous masks, in order to inscribe themselves on the hearts of mankind
— Beyond Good and Evil, 40
A joke is an epigram on the death of a feeling
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 169
He who obeys, does not listen to himself
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part I, ‘Of the Way of the Creator’
It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 623
He who wishes one day to fly must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part III, Before Sunrise
To use the same words is not a sufficient guarantee of understanding; one must use the same words for the same kind of inner experience
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 268
The most common form of human stupidity is forgetting what one is trying to do
— The Wanderer and His Shadow, section 5
The concept of guilt and the concept of punishment were not originally linked; they were separated from each other for a long time
— On the Genealogy of Morals, Second Essay
He who possesses great power, must also possess great power over himself
— Daybreak, Aphorism 109
He who climbs upon the highest mountains laughs at all tragedies, real or imaginary
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, On Reading and Writing
Nothing on earth consumes a man more quickly than the passion of resentment
— Ecce Homo, 'Why I Am So Clever', Section 6
The greatest weight: What if a demon were to creep after you one day or night, in your loneliest loneliness, and say: ‘This life as you now live it and have lived it, you will have to live once more and innumerable times more’
— The Gay Science, Book Four, Section 341 (The Greatest Weight)
One loves ultimately one's desires, not the thing desired
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 175
Against boredom even gods struggle in vain
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 56
Out of life’s school of war: What does not destroy me, makes me stronger
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows, 8
When one has finished building one’s house, one suddenly realizes that in the process one has learned something that one really needed to know in the very beginning
— Beyond Good and Evil, Section 39
Every profound spirit needs a mask: even more, around every profound spirit a mask is continually growing
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 40
The great epochs of our life are at the points when we gain the courage to re-baptize our badness as the best in us
— Beyond Good and Evil, Section 116
Man is the cruelest animal
— On the Genealogy of Morals, Second Essay, §6
The most common lie is that which one lies to himself; lying to others is relatively an exception
— The Antichrist, Section 55
The surest way to spoil a pleasure is to examine your satisfaction
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 585
To learn to see—to accustom the eye to calmness, to patience, and to allow things to come up to it; to defer judgment, to learn to go around and grasp each individual case from all sides
— Genealogy of Morals, Preface, Section 6
Every word is a preconceived judgment
— The Dawn (Daybreak), Section 47
There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, On the Despisers of the Body
Every deep thinker is more afraid of being understood than of being misunderstood
— Beyond Good and Evil, §289
Talking much about oneself can also be a means to conceal oneself
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 169
He who has once thought profoundly grows accustomed to wearing a mask
— Beyond Good and Evil, §40
There are no beautiful surfaces without a terrible depth
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 290
There are no beautiful surfaces without a terrible depth
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 290
Morality is the herd-instinct in the individual
— The Gay Science, Aphorism 116
There is rarely a medium in love; one either destroys oneself or one destroys the other
— The Gay Science, Book IV, Section 305
One often ruins his pupil if he remains nothing but a pupil
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 'On the Gift-Giving Virtue'
Without envy there would be no progress
— Human, All Too Human, 1:9
Every deep thinker is more afraid of being understood than of being misunderstood
— Beyond Good and Evil, Section 290
A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything
— Beyond Good and Evil, Part Four, Aphorism 156
Against boredom even gods struggle in vain
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 56
Man is a rope stretched between the animal and the Übermensch—a rope over an abyss
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Prologue
One repays a teacher badly if one always remains nothing but a pupil
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part I, On the Gift-Giving Virtue
There are no facts, only interpretations
— The Will to Power, Notebook 7, section 481
He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part 1, Chapter 13
The thought of suicide is a strong consolation: by means of it one gets through many a dark night
— Beyond Good and Evil, Section 157
Only as an aesthetic phenomenon is existence and the world justified
— The Birth of Tragedy, Section 5
There are no phenomena, only interpretations
— Notebooks (Nachlass, 1886–1887)
He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, On the Gift-Giving Virtue
Distrust all in whom the impulse to punish is powerful
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part I, On the New Idol
The surest way to spoil a pleasure is to start examining your satisfaction
— The Gay Science, Aphorism 58
Faith: not wanting to know what is true
— The Antichrist, §52
Is man merely a mistake of God's? Or God merely a mistake of man?
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows 7
All idealism is mendaciousness in the face of necessity
— Ecce Homo, Why I Am So Wise, Section 4
Amor fati: let that be my love henceforth!
— The Gay Science, Book IV, Section 276
Thoughts are the shadows of our feelings—always darker, emptier, simpler
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 179
To use the same words is not a sufficient guarantee of understanding; one must use the same words for the same kind of inner experience
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 119
He who enjoys putting others to shame is not trusted by them; yet they are willing to submit to guilt, if it only flatters their pride
— Daybreak, Aphorism 225
He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying.
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, On the Gift-Giving Virtue
A pair of powerful spectacles has sometimes sufficed to cure a person in love
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 127
All credibility, all good conscience, all evidence of truth come only from the senses
— Beyond Good and Evil, §134
The belief in truth begins with the doubt of all truths in which one has previously believed
— Human, All Too Human §9
What is the seal of liberation? No longer being ashamed in front of oneself
— The Gay Science, Book Four, Section 275
Man is for himself the cruelest animal
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, On the Pale Criminal
The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently
— The Dawn, Aphorism 297
Whoever fights monsters should see to it that he does not become a monster in the process
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 146
The advantage of a bad memory is that one enjoys several times the same good things for the first time
— Genealogy of Morals, Second Essay
One must repay good and ill; but why just to the person who did us good or ill?
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 195
To recognize untruth as a condition of life; that is certainly to resist customary value feelings in a dangerous way
— Beyond Good and Evil, Part One
A sedentary life is the real sin against the Holy Spirit. Only those thoughts that come by walking have any value
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows, 34
He who has once begun to think, how can he ever stop?
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 23
A thinker sees his own actions as experiments and questions—as attempts to find out something. Success and failure are for him answers above all
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 42
Not by wrath does one kill, but by laughter. Come, let us kill the spirit of gravity!
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part I, 'On Reading and Writing'
Art is the proper task of life
— The Will to Power, Notebook 7, Aphorism 796
What we experience in dreams is no more real than what we experience when we are awake; both arise from the same creative ground of the psyche
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 232
The philosopher must be the bad conscience of his age
— Untimely Meditations, 'Schopenhauer as Educator', Section 3
Man is something that shall be overcome. What have you done to overcome him?
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Prologue 4
He who has attained to only some degree of freedom of mind cannot feel other than a wanderer on the earth—though not as a traveller to a final goal: for there are no such things
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 638
He who has a why to live can bear almost any how
— Twilight of the Idols, Aphorism 12
The most perfidious way of harming a cause consists of defending it deliberately with faulty arguments
— The Gay Science, Book III, Section 191
Whoever cannot seek both glory and danger will find neither
— Ecce Homo, Why I Am So Wise, Section 6
One often contradicts an opinion when what is uncongenial is really the tone in which it was conveyed
— Human, All Too Human, Section 33
Man is the cruelest animal
— On the Genealogy of Morals, Essay II, Section 6
I assess the power of a will by how much resistance, pain, torture it endures and knows how to turn to its advantage
— Ecce Homo, Why I am so Wise, Section 6
To do is to be valuable; and not to do is to be valueless
— The Will to Power, Note 769
The greatest burden: that every action you take must be lived again and again, eternally
— The Gay Science, Book IV, Aphorism 341 (The Greatest Weight)
There are no eternal facts, as there are no absolute truths
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 16
All great things must first wear terrifying and monstrous masks, in order to inscribe themselves on the hearts of humanity
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 40
In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 156
No artist tolerates reality
— Twilight of the Idols, Skirmishes of an Untimely Man, Section 8
He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 'On the Gift-Giving Virtue'
He who climbs upon the highest mountains laughs at all tragedies, real or imaginary
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part III, ‘On the Vision and the Riddle’
There is an innocence in admiration: it occurs in one who has not yet realized that they might one day be admired
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 207
There are no eternal facts, as there are no absolute truths
— Human, All Too Human, §16
He who would learn to praise must learn to blame
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Of the Friend
He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 'On the Tree on the Mountain'
To do is to be valuable; and not to do is to be valueless
— Twilight of the Idols, 'Expeditions of an Untimely Man'
Madness is rare in individuals, but in groups, parties, nations, and ages it is the rule
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 156
There are no moral phenomena at all, only a moral interpretation of phenomena
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 108
The maturity of man: that means to have reacquired the seriousness that one had as a child at play
— Beyond Good and Evil, Section 94
He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part Two, On the Tarantulas
To predict the behavior of ordinary people in advance, you only have to assume that they will always try to escape a disagreeable situation with the smallest possible expenditure of intelligence
— Beyond Good and Evil, §68
To predict the behavior of ordinary people in advance, you only have to assume that they will always try to escape a disagreeable situation with the smallest possible expenditure of intelligence
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 58
He who possesses genius should look to it that he possess a generous nature as well
— Ecce Homo, Why I Am So Clever, §9
And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, (attributed, motif appears in Part 2, 'The Child with the Mirror')
Silence is worse; all truths that are kept silent become poisonous
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 'On the Gift-Giving Virtue'
I mistrust all systematizers and I avoid them. The will to a system is a lack of integrity
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows, 26
All credibility, all good conscience, all evidence of truth come only from the senses
— The Gay Science, Book III, §188
Only great pain is the ultimate liberator of the spirit
— The Genealogy of Morals, Preface, section 6
Insanity in individuals is something rare—but in groups, parties, nations, and epochs, it is the rule
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 156
Against our own will, we are brought to the point where we ascribe to God not only the goodness we consider divine but also the evil and the most questionable qualities
— Beyond Good and Evil, Section 260
What was silent in the father speaks in the son, and often I found the son the unveiled secret of the father
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, On the Flies of the Market-Place
Whoever does not have a good father should procure one
— Twilight of the Idols, Morality as Anti-Nature, Section 3
He who cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself
— Human, All Too Human, Section 69
To do great things is difficult; but to command great things is more difficult
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part II, 'On Child and Marriage'
The most common form of human stupidity is forgetting what one is trying to do
— The Gay Science, Book III, §246
A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything
— The Antichrist, Section 51
The demand for a strong faith is not the proof of truth, but the sign of despair
— The Antichrist, Section 51
To use the same words is not a sufficient guarantee of understanding; one must use the same words for the same kind of inner experience
— The Gay Science, Aphorism 290
The greatest cure for love is still that time honoured medicine: love returned
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 422
I am not a man, I am dynamite
— Ecce Homo, Preface
Whoever despises himself still respects himself as one who despises
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Of the Tarantulas
The greatest weight: What if a demon were to creep after you one day or night, in your loneliest loneliness, and say: ‘This life as you now live it and have lived it, you will have to live once more and innumerable times more’
— The Gay Science, Aphorism 341 ('The Heaviest Weight')
Hope is the worst of evils, for it prolongs the torment of man
— Human, All Too Human, Book I, Aphorism 71
There are no beautiful surfaces without a terrible depth
— Beyond Good and Evil (Aphorism 290)
What separates two people most profoundly is a different sense and degree of cleanliness
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 'On the Friend'
Whoever wants to learn to think must first learn to doubt, as all knowledge derives from doubt
— Human, All Too Human, 2:7
There is an artist after all who created the world, who, knowing humanity, threw away the key
— The Gay Science, Book IV, Aphorism 299
We often refuse to accept an idea merely because the tone of voice in which it has been expressed is unsympathetic to us
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 254
The surest way to spoil a pleasure is to start examining your satisfaction
— The Gay Science, Book IV, Aphorism 338
One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Prologue, 5
There are no eternal facts, as there are no absolute truths
— Human, All Too Human, Part One, Section 16
Truths are illusions which we have forgotten are illusions
— On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense
There are no moral phenomena at all, only a moral interpretation of phenomena
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 108
There is not enough love and goodness in the world to permit giving any of it away to imaginary beings
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 129
I am not a man, I am dynamite
— Ecce Homo, Why I Am a Destiny
He who despises himself still respects himself as one who despises
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, On the Pitying
I am not a man, I am dynamite
— Ecce Homo, Preface
There is a false saying: 'Whoever cannot bear life must accept it.' The truth is the other way round: Whoever must accept life cannot bear it
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows I
The surest way to spoil a pleasure is to start examining your satisfaction
— The Antichrist, §9
There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part I, On Reading and Writing
The doer alone learneth
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, On the Pale Criminal
One must have a good memory to be able to keep the promises one makes
— Human, All Too Human, Section 76
Truths are illusions which we have forgotten are illusions
— On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense
In truth, there was only one Christian, and he died on the cross
— The Antichrist, Section 39
Sometimes people don't want to hear the truth because they don't want their illusions destroyed
— Collected Works; often attributed to The Antichrist but actual phrase is paraphrased from his writings
They muddy the water to make it seem deep
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Of Scholars
He who cannot command himself should obey
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part I, 'On the Thousand and One Goals'
To predict the behavior of ordinary people in advance, you only have to assume that they will always try to escape a disagreeable situation with the smallest possible expenditure of intelligence
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 58
Without music, life would be a mistake
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows 33
In individuals, madness is rare; but in groups, parties, nations, and ages it is the rule
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 156
There are no facts, only interpretations
— Nachlass (Posthumous Fragments), 1886-1887
You must be proud of your enemy; then the success of your enemy is your success too
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part I, On the Friend
Man is the cruelest animal
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 'On Reading and Writing'
Fear is the mother of morality
— The Dawn, Aphorism 174
All credibility, all good conscience, all evidence of truth come only from the senses
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 134
The lie is a condition of life
— Beyond Good and Evil, §4
What is ape to man? A laughing-stock or a painful embarrassment. And man shall be just that for the Übermensch: a laughing-stock or a painful embarrassment
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Prologue
At bottom every man knows well enough that he is a unique being, only once on this earth; and by no extraordinary chance will such a marvelously picturesque piece of diversity in unity as he is, ever be put together a second time
— Untimely Meditations, Schopenhauer as Educator, Section 7
Some men are born posthumously
— Ecce Homo, Foreword, Section 1
In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 156
The future influences the present just as much as the past
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 112
He who has attained to only some degree of freedom of mind cannot feel other than a wanderer on the earth
— The Dawn, 202
What is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil.
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 153
Invisible threads are the strongest ties
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 268
He who would learn to praise must learn to blame
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 248
Every deep thinker is more afraid of being understood than of being misunderstood
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 289
He who fights against monsters must take care that he does not become a monster in the process
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 146
No shepherd and one herd! Everybody wants the same, everybody is the same: whoever feels different goes voluntarily into a madhouse
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, The Last Man
A bad conscience is easier to cope with than a bad reputation
— The Gay Science (Aphorism 160)
It is not when truth is dirty, but when it is shallow, that the lover of knowledge is reluctant to step into its waters
— The Gay Science, Book Four, Aphorism 327
Life is a fountain of delight; but where the rabble also drinks, all wells are poisoned
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 'Of the Rabble'
Man is a rope stretched between the animal and the Übermensch—a rope over an abyss
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Prologue 4
There is an innocence in admiration: it occurs in one who has not yet realized that they might one day be admired
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 164
Every profound spirit needs a mask; even more, around every profound spirit a mask is continually growing
— Beyond Good and Evil, section 40
The earth has a skin and that skin has diseases; one of its diseases is called man
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Of the Compassionate
Invisible threads are the strongest ties
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 'On the Gift-giving Virtue'
Morality is neither instinct nor nature; rather, it is the free invention of the mind
— On the Genealogy of Morality, Preface
There is not enough love and goodness in the world to permit giving any of it away to imaginary beings
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 129
It is not the strength, but the duration, of great sentiments that makes great men
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 39
He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, On the Gift-Giving Virtue
The higher we soar the smaller we appear to those who cannot fly
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 'On the Tree on the Mountain'
The surest way to spoil a pleasure is to examine your satisfaction
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 586
There is an old illusion—it is called good and evil
— Beyond Good and Evil, section 260
The advantage of a bad memory is that one enjoys several times the same good things for the first time
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 580
Convictions are more dangerous foes of truth than lies
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 483
Every great philosophy so far has been the personal confession of its author and a kind of involuntary and unconscious memoir
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 6
There are no facts, only interpretations
— The Will to Power, Section 481
The greatest weight — What, if some day or night a demon were to steal after you into your loneliest loneliness and say to you: ‘This life as you now live it and have lived it, you will have to live once more and innumerable times more’
— The Gay Science, Aphorism 341 'The Greatest Weight'
All idealism is mendaciousness in the face of necessity
— Beyond Good and Evil, §9
Many are stubborn in pursuit of the path they have chosen, few in pursuit of the goal
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 274
To be oneself, the master and also the sculptor of oneself
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, On the Thousand and One Goals
All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows 34
A politician divides mankind into two classes: tools and enemies
— Human, All Too Human, §472
The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently
— The Dawn, Aphorism 297
Without forgetting it is quite impossible to live at all
— On the Advantage and Disadvantage of History for Life, Section 1
The most common lie is that which one lies to himself; lying to others is relatively an exception
— The Antichrist, Section 54
What is done out of fear is worth nothing
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Of the Blessed Isles
A thinker sees his own actions as experiments and questions—as attempts to find out something. Success and failure are for him answers above all
— The Gay Science, Book V, Aphorism 317
The most common lie is that which one lies to himself; lying to others is relatively an exception
— The Antichrist, Section 55
Whoever does not have a good father should procure one
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part III: On Old and New Tablets, Section 18
He who cannot find joy in solitude will not find it in company either
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 'On the Flies of the Market-Place'
Invisible threads are the strongest ties
— Human, All Too Human, 504
What is happiness? The feeling that power increases—that a resistance is overcome
— The Antichrist, Section 2
To forget one’s solitude is to forget oneself
— Human, All Too Human, Book II, Assorted Opinions and Maxims, Section 333
All great things must first wear terrifying and monstrous masks, in order to inscribe themselves on the hearts of humanity
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 40
To forget one's purpose is the commonest form of stupidity
— The Antichrist, Section 29
In revenge and in love woman is more barbarous than man
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 139
The mature man does not wish to be kept from error; error is part of becoming
— Ecce Homo, Why I Am So Wise, Section 9
There are no eternal facts, as there are no absolute truths
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 16
No artist tolerates reality
— Twilight of the Idols, 'Expeditions of an Untimely Man', Section 8
I am not upset that you lied to me, I am upset that from now on I can’t believe you
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 183
Without forgetting it is quite impossible to live at all
— On the Advantage and Disadvantage of History for Life, Section 1
He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, On the Tree on the Mountain
Whoever cannot command himself must obey
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 188
He who has a why to live can bear almost any how
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows, 12
Nothing on earth consumes a man more quickly than the passion of resentment
— Ecce Homo, Why I am So Wise §6
The advantage of a bad memory is that one enjoys several times the same good things for the first time
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 217
I am not one who likes to look back. I look neither forward nor backward. I look upward
— Ecce Homo, Why I Am So Wise, section 1
Remorse is like biting into a sour apple: it makes the soul smaller
— Daybreak, Section 223
To do great things is difficult, but to command great things is more difficult
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part II, 'On the Virtuous'
One loves ultimately one's desires, not the thing desired
— Beyond Good and Evil, Section 175
The madness of love is the greatest of heaven’s blessings
— Beyond Good and Evil, §71
Success has always been a great liar
— Beyond Good and Evil, Part Two
He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 146
No artist tolerates reality
— The Will to Power, Notebook 822
The advantages of a bad memory are great: one enjoys several times the same good things for the first time
— Human, All Too Human, Section 580
What is the seal of liberation? No longer being ashamed in front of oneself
— The Dawn, Book Five, Section 553
He who cannot find joy in solitude will not find it in company either
— Untimely Meditations, "Schopenhauer as Educator"
Idleness is the parent of all psychology
— Twilight of the Idols, 'Apothegms and Darts'
All instincts that do not discharge themselves outwardly turn inward—this is what I call the internalization of man
— On the Genealogy of Morals, Second Essay, Section 16
I assess the power of a will by how much resistance, pain, torture it endures and knows how to turn to its advantage
— Ecce Homo, Why I am So Wise, section 6
The absurdity of existence must be paid for with an infinity of meaninglessness
— The Will to Power, Book III, Section 617
A politician divides mankind into two classes: tools and enemies
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 472
What we do is never understood, but only praised or blamed
— On the Genealogy of Morals, Essay I, Section 10
The greatest events—they are not our loudest but our stillest hours
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part II, On the Stillest Hour
There are two different types of people in the world, those who want to know, and those who want to believe
— The Antichrist, Section 54
There are no moral phenomena at all, only a moral interpretation of phenomena
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 108
Sometimes people don't want to hear the truth because they don't want their illusions destroyed
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 483
The most spiritual people, as the strongest, find their happiness where others would find their destruction: in the labyrinth, in hardness against themselves and others
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 44
The higher one climbs, the smaller one appears to those who cannot fly
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 'On the Sublime Men'
All things are subject to interpretation; whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power and not truth
— The Will to Power, Section 481
He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 146
Against boredom even gods struggle in vain
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 56
Every profound spirit needs a mask
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 40
In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 156
Sensuality often makes love grow too quickly, so that the root remains weak and is easy to pull out
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 168
The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to esteem more highly those who think alike than those who think differently
— The Dawn, Aphorism 297
God is dead
— The Gay Science, Book Three, 125
To use the same words is not a sufficient guarantee of understanding; one must use the same words for the same kind of inner experience
— Human, All Too Human, Part I, Aphorism 268
A sedentary life is the real sin against the Holy Spirit. Only those thoughts that come by walking have any value
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows, 34
There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part I, On Reading and Writing
There are no moral phenomena at all, only a moral interpretation of phenomena
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 108
A good writer possesses not only his own spirit but also the spirit of his friends
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 'On the Gift-Giving Virtue'
A politician divides mankind into two classes: tools and enemies
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 472
We should not decide who is right and who is wrong, before careful investigation has established who is powerful and who is weak
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 259
The greatest weight is existence itself, with its irrevocability and inexorability, its past, present, and future
— The Gay Science, Aphorism 341 "The Greatest Weight"
To rejoice on account of praise is in many cases merely politeness of heart—and the very opposite of vanity of spirit
— Human, All Too Human, Section 91
A thinker sees his own actions as experiments and questions—as attempts to find out something. Success and failure are for him answers above all
— The Gay Science, Aphorism 276
Distrust everyone in whom the impulse to punish is powerful
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Of the Tarantulas
Is life not a thousand times too short for us to bore ourselves
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 227
Whoever must be a creator always annihilates
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Of the Thousand and One Goals
Man is a rope, tied between beast and Übermensch—a rope over an abyss
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Prologue, Section 4
To learn to see—to accustom the eye to calmness, to patience, and to allow things to come up to it
— Twilight of the Idols, Foreword
Against boredom even gods struggle in vain
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 56
The snake that cannot shed its skin must perish
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part I, On the Tree on the Hill
The best author will be the one who is ashamed to become a writer
— Ecce Homo, Why I Am So Clever, section 9
When you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 146
The greatest weight—What, if some day or night a demon were to steal after you into your loneliest loneliness and say to you: this life as you now live it and have lived it, you will have to live once more and innumerable times more
— The Gay Science, Book IV, Section 341
One loves ultimately one's desires, not the thing desired
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 175
Is man merely a mistake of God's? Or God merely a mistake of man?
— The Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows, 7
'Truths' are illusions which we have forgotten are illusions
— On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense
The best friend will probably acquire the best wife, because a good marriage is based on the talent for friendship
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 393
Where one can no longer love, there one should pass by
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows 33
The advantage of a bad memory is that one enjoys several times the same good things for the first time
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 580
Great intellects are skeptical
— The Antichrist, Section 54
He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part I, On the Gift-Giving Virtue
The greatest cure for love is still that time-honoured medicine: love returned
— Beyond Good and Evil, Section 71
In loneliness, the lonely one eats himself; in a crowd, the many eat him. Now choose
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part II, Chapter 9
We often refuse to accept an idea merely because the tone of voice in which it has been expressed is unsympathetic to us
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 35
The most dangerous physicians are the always successful ones
— The Gay Science, Book Four, Aphorism 326
Hope in reality is the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torments of man
— Human, All Too Human, Section 71
The demand to be loved is the greatest of all arrogant presumptions
— Beyond Good and Evil (Aphorism 162)
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, On the Flies of the Market-Place
Art is the proper task of life
— The Birth of Tragedy, Section 5
Man is a rope stretched between the animal and the Übermensch—a rope over an abyss
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Prologue, Section 4
The advantage of a bad memory is that one enjoys several times the same good things for the first time
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 217
The greatest events—they are not our loudest but our stillest hours
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part 3, On the Vision and the Riddle
There are no facts, only interpretations
— Nachlass (Posthumous Fragments), Summer–Fall 1886, 7[60]
Whoever would overthrow the passions as evil had better see to it that he can also overthrow the statues of greatness
— The Dawn, Aphorism 231
What have you done to overcome him?
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Prologue 3
Distrust all philosophers who dwell in the noisy marketplace and let themselves be called great men
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part 2, 'On the Flies of the Marketplace'
Not by wrath does one kill, but by laughter. Come, let us kill the spirit of gravity!
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, On Reading and Writing
What is ape to man? A laughingstock or a painful embarrassment. And man shall be just that for the Übermensch: a laughing-stock or a painful embarrassment
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Prologue, Section 3
To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering
— Quoted in Friedrich Nietzsche: The Man and His Philosophy by R.J. Hollingdale (attributed, paraphrase of various aphorisms)
He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part I, On Reading and Writing
Life is that which must overcome itself again and again
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, On Self-Overcoming
Whoever despises himself still respects himself as one who despises. This is a saying of Zarathustra. Praise and blame are both forms of self-respect.
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Chapter 'On the Pitying'
The lie is a condition of life
— The Antichrist, section 4
There are no facts, only interpretations
— The Will to Power, Book III, §481
The higher we soar, the smaller we appear to those who cannot fly
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part III, 'On the Vision and the Riddle'
The surest way to spoil a pleasure is to start examining your satisfaction
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 586
The greatest happiness you can have is to know that you do not necessarily require happiness
— The Gay Science, Book Four, Aphorism 270
Man alone suffers so excruciatingly in the world that he was compelled to invent laughter
— Beyond Good and Evil, Section 294
To predict the behavior of ordinary people in advance, you only have to assume that they will always try to escape a disagreeable situation with the smallest possible expenditure of intelligence
— Beyond Good and Evil, §175
The greatest periods of progress in culture always have coincided with periods of unbelief; therefore, the greatest men have always been skeptics
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 262
There are no eternal facts, as there are no absolute truths
— Human, All Too Human, Section 16
In music the passions enjoy themselves
— The Birth of Tragedy, Section 6
The most dangerous physicians are the always successful ones
— Daybreak, Aphorism 245
One must have a good memory to be able to keep the promises one makes
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part 2, 'The Tarantulas'
The best friend will probably acquire the best wife, because a good marriage is based on the talent for friendship
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 410
There are thoughts which are prayers. There are moments when, whatever the posture of the body, the soul is on its knees
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 10
He who has once thought profoundly has difficulty in being frivolous
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 200
There are no beautiful surfaces without a terrible depth
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 290
He who cannot find joy in solitude will not find it in company either
— Human, All Too Human, Part I, Section 99
To forget one's loneliness is to forget oneself
— Human, All Too Human, Part II, Assorted Opinions and Maxims 134
All is vanity: but to know it, to be the one who knows, fills a great pride
— Human, All Too Human, Section 29
When marrying, ask yourself this question: Do you believe that you will be able to converse well with this person into your old age? Everything else in marriage is transitory
— Human, All Too Human, Section 407
He who cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 44
There are two different types of people in the world, those who want to know, and those who want to believe
— The Antichrist, Aphorism 54
If you look for seekers, test their truthfulness without pity
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 'The Old and New Tables'
There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part I, On Reading and Writing
Underneath this reality in which we live and have our being, another and altogether different reality lies concealed
— The Birth of Tragedy, Section 1
At bottom every man knows well enough that he is a unique being, only once on this earth; and by no extraordinary chance will such a marvelously picturesque piece of diversity in unity as he is, ever be put together a second time
— Untimely Meditations, 'Schopenhauer as Educator', Section 7
There are heights of the soul from which even tragedy ceases to look tragic
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 30
There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 'On Reading and Writing'
He who has attained to only some degree of freedom of mind cannot feel other than a wanderer on the earth—though not as a traveller to a final goal: for there are no such things
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 638
The lonely one offers his hand too quickly to whomever he encounters
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part 1, 'The Tree on the Hill'
There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some method in madness
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 68
The demand for equality indicates lack of originality
— The Will to Power, Book IV, 763
The man of knowledge must be able not only to love his enemies but also to hate his friends
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 'On the Friend'
Sensuality often makes love grow too quickly, so that the root remains weak and is easy to pull out
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, "Of the Friend"
He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows, 12
In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 156
Whoever cannot seek both glory and danger will find neither
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 'Of War and Warriors'
What is done out of fear is worth nothing
— The Gay Science, Book III, Aphorism 92
We hear only those questions for which we are in a position to find answers
— The Genealogy of Morals, Preface, Section 1
Whoever cannot find peace in his heart will not find it anywhere else
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 629
The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence; it is to act with yesterday’s logic
— The Gay Science, Book Four
Invisible threads are the strongest ties
— Human, All Too Human, Volume I, Section 120
He who indulges in revenge relieves himself for a brief moment but poisons the well from which he must drink when he is thirsty again
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 89
He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 'On the Gift-Giving Virtue'
To do great things is difficult, but to command great things is more difficult
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Of the Thousand and One Goals
Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster
— Beyond Good and Evil, 146
He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 146
One often contradicts an opinion when what is uncongenial is really the tone in which it was conveyed
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 297
Idleness is the parent of psychology
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows, §1
There are no beautiful surfaces without a terrible depth
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 146
The snake which cannot shed its skin, perishes. So do the spirits who are prevented from changing their opinions; they cease to be spirit
— The Dawn, Book I, 573
Remorse is like biting into a sour apple: it makes the soul smaller
— Human, All Too Human, 74
In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 94
When one has finished building one’s house, one suddenly realizes that in the process one has learned something that one really needed to know in the very beginning
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 243
Every deep thinker is more afraid of being understood than of being misunderstood
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 289
Man is the cruelest animal
— On the Genealogy of Morals, Essay II, Section 6
He who has once begun to think, how can he ever stop? And how could he dare to stop?
— Daybreak, §382
Whoever wishes to be creative must first destroy and smash values
— The Will to Power, Book Three, Section 459
The demand for equality indicates lack of originality
— The Will to Power, Book III, Aphorism 764
The worst readers are those who behave like plundering troops: they take away a few things they can use, dirty and confound the remainder, and blaspheme the whole
— Human, All Too Human (Aphorism 137)
Faith: not wanting to know what is true
— The Antichrist, Aphorism 52
He who has once thought profoundly has difficulty in being frivolous
— Beyond Good and Evil, section 287
Whoever does not have a good father should procure one
— Twilight of the Idols, 'Maxims and Arrows', Section 39
The best author will be the one who is ashamed to become a writer
— Ecce Homo, Why I Write Such Good Books, 4
Without forgetting it is quite impossible to live at all
— On the Advantage and Disadvantage of History for Life
Life as a means to knowledge—now, this is a principle of the ascetics; it is not of us
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 230
There are as many truths as there are human beings
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 513
To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows §12
Without music, life would be a mistake
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows, 33
The demand for equality indicates lack of originality
— The Will to Power, Notebook 7, 1887
A good writer possesses not only his own spirit but also the spirit of his friends
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 205
In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 156
One ought to hold on to one's heart; for if one lets it go, one soon loses control of the head too
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 157
A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 56
To predict the behavior of ordinary people in advance, you only have to assume that they will always try to escape a disagreeable situation with the smallest possible expenditure of intelligence
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 177
Every tradition grows even more venerable - the more remote its origin, the more confused that origin is
— On the Genealogy of Morals, Preface, Section 2
What we experience in dreams is no more real than what we experience when we are awake
— On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense
In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 156
Morality is the herd instinct in the individual
— The Gay Science, Aphorism 116
The thought of suicide is a great consolation: by means of it one gets through many a dark night
— Beyond Good and Evil, Part 4, Section 157
The earth has a skin and that skin has diseases; one of its diseases is called man
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part II, Chapter 18
To live alone one must be a beast or a god—says Aristotle. Leaving out the third case: one must be both—a philosopher
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 61
There are no beautiful surfaces without a terrible depth
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 146
Every profound spirit needs a mask
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 40
Silence is worse; all truths that are kept silent become poisonous
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part II, 'On the Adder’s Bite'
What does not kill me makes me stronger
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows, 8
In music the passions enjoy themselves
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 106
There is no beautiful surface without a terrible depth
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 290
The earth has a skin and that skin has diseases; one of its diseases is called man
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, On the Gift-Giving Virtue II
He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 'On the Gift-Giving Virtue'
Every elevation of the type ‘man’, has hitherto been the work of an aristocratic society
— On the Genealogy of Morality, First Essay, section 12
By searching out origins, one becomes a crab. The historian looks backwards; eventually he also believes backwards
— Twilight of the Idols, 'Maxims and Arrows', 6
Whoever will be free must make himself free; freedom is no fairy gift to fall into a man’s lap
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows, 38
What is ape to man? A laughing-stock or a painful embarrassment. And man shall be just that for the Übermensch: a laughing-stock or a painful embarrassment
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part I, Zarathustra’s Prologue, Section 3
Art is the proper task of life
— The Will to Power, Notebook 1883-1888
We have art in order not to die of the truth
— The Will to Power, Book III, section 822
Often it is not the strength but the duration of great sentiments that makes great men
— Human, All Too Human, Section 275
For the longest time, being a philosopher meant playing a trick on oneself in full view of all the world and indulging in mischievous little pranks—a kind of spiritual clowning
— Daybreak, Aphorism 14
A good writer possesses not only his own spirit but also the spirit of his friends
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 264
He who indulges in revenge relieves himself for a brief moment but poisons the well from which he must drink when he is thirsty again
— Human, All Too Human, §82
He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 146
If you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 146
Man alone suffers so excruciatingly in the world that he was compelled to invent laughter
— The Will to Power, Book II, The Free Spirit
For every people the voice of their earth goes into them, and this voice is what commands them
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, On the New Idol
He who obeys, does not listen to himself
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 41
Thoughts are the shadows of our feelings—always darker, emptier, simpler.
— The Gay Science, Book V
A pair of powerful spectacles has sometimes sufficed to cure a person in love
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 163
When marrying, ask yourself this question: Do you believe that you will be able to converse well with this person into your old age? Everything else in marriage is transitory
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 363
There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, On the Despisers of the Body
To predict the behavior of ordinary people in advance, you only have to assume that they will always try to escape a disagreeable situation with the smallest possible expenditure of intelligence
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 175
Man is the cruelest animal
— On the Genealogy of Morals, Second Essay
One must pay dearly for immortality; one has to die several times while one is still alive
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part IV, The Drunken Song
He who has once thought profoundly grows accustomed to wearing a mask
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 629
One often ruins his pupil if he remains nothing but a pupil
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part I, On the Friend
Life is a fountain of delight; but where the rabble also drinks, all wells are poisoned
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, On the Flies of the Market-Place
To learn to see—to accustom the eye to calmness, to patience, and to allow things to come up to it; to defer judgment, to learn to go around and grasp each individual case from all sides
— Genealogy of Morals, Preface, §3
Against our own will, we are brought to the point where we ascribe to God not only the goodness we consider divine but also the evil and the most questionable ['qualities']
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 61
There are no moral phenomena at all, only a moral interpretation of phenomena
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 108
The most common form of human stupidity is forgetting what one is trying to do
— The Gay Science, Book III, Aphorism 193
He who obeys, does not listen to himself
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 'Of the Way of the Creating One'
To doubt everything, or, to believe everything, are two equally convenient solutions; both dispense with the necessity of reflection
— Human, All Too Human, Section 1
A living thing seeks above all to discharge its strength—life itself is will to power
— Beyond Good and Evil, §13
In revenge and in love woman is more barbarous than man
— Beyond Good and Evil, Section 131
Freedom is the will to be responsible to ourselves
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows, 38
We find only words for emotions, all that we have is words. It is rare enough that one has words for emotions; it is even more rare that one has emotions for words
— Human, All Too Human, §268
Without cruelty there is no festival
— On the Genealogy of Morality, Second Essay, Section 6
The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently
— The Dawn, Aphorism 297
It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 'On the Friend'
To use the same words is not a sufficient guarantee of understanding; one must use the same words for the same kind of inner experience
— Human, All Too Human, Section 268
To predict the behavior of ordinary people in advance, you only have to assume that they will always try to escape a disagreeable situation with the smallest possible expenditure of intelligence
— Beyond Good and Evil, Section 68
He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, On the Preachers of Death
To forget one's loneliness is to forget oneself
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 610
One does not only wish to be understood when one writes; one wishes just as surely not to be understood
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 192
The surest way to ruin a man who doesn’t know how to handle money is to give him some
— The Dawn (Aphorism 205)
God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him
— The Gay Science, Section 125 (The Madman)
The demand for equality indicates lack of originality
— The Will to Power, Notebook 9, section 49
The demand to be loved is the greatest of all arrogant presumptions
— Beyond Good and Evil, section 162
One does not hate as long as one has a low esteem of someone, but only when one esteems him as an equal or a superior
— Beyond Good and Evil, Part 5, Section 185
One must pay dearly for immortality; one has to die several times while one is still alive
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows 12
He who has a why to live can bear almost any how
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows, section 12
The greatest danger that always hovered over humanity and still hovers over it is the eruption of madness—which means the eruption of arbitrariness in feeling, seeing and hearing, the enjoyment of the mind's lack of discipline, the joy in human unreason
— Beyond Good and Evil, 210
The doer alone learneth
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Chapter 'On Reading and Writing'
Insomuch as you believe in morality, you do not believe in life
— Twilight of the Idols, Morality as Anti-Nature, Section 5
There are no facts, only interpretations
— The Will to Power, Section 481
Every profound spirit needs a mask
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 40
A pair of powerful spectacles has sometimes sufficed to cure a person in love
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 416
Is man merely a mistake of God's? Or God merely a mistake of man?
— Twilight of the Idols, 'The Four Great Errors', section 7
You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Prologue, Section 5