Friedrich Nietzsche Quotes
80 quotes
Friedrich Nietzsche
German Philosopher
80 Quotes
For the higher we soar, the smaller we appear to those who cannot fly
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part 3, On the Vision and the Riddle
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
He who cannot put his thoughts on ice should not enter into the heat of dispute
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 54
To forget one’s purpose is the commonest form of stupidity
— The Antichrist, Section 2
In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part I, On the Child and Marriage
Freedom is the will to be responsible for ourselves
— Twilight of the Idols, 'Maxims and Arrows', Aphorism 38
There are no moral phenomena at all, but only a moral interpretation of phenomena
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 108
What is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 153
One repays a teacher badly if one always remains nothing but a pupil
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part 1, On the Gift-Giving Virtue
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
A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything
— The Antichrist, Section 51
Every habit makes our hand more witty and our wit less handy
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 405
To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering
— Twilight of the Idols, 'Maxims and Arrows', Aphorism 12 (paraphrased from other works as well)
I am not a man, I am dynamite
— Ecce Homo, 'Why I Am a Destiny', section 1
There are no eternal facts, as there are no absolute truths.
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 16
Blessed are the forgetful for they get the better even of their blunders
— Beyond Good and Evil, Section 217
We have art in order not to die of the truth
— The Will to Power, Aphorism 822
Man is the cruelest animal
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part II, 'On Reading and Writing'
The true man wants two things: danger and play. For that reason he wants woman, as the most dangerous plaything.
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part I, On Little Old and Young Women
God is dead
— The Gay Science, Book 3, Aphorism 125
In loneliness, the lonely one eats himself; in a crowd, the many eat him. Now choose
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 'Of the Virtue That Makes Small','quoteExplanation':'Nietzsche contemplates the existential dilemma between solitude and societal conformity, highlighting the difficulties inherent in both choices.
He who cannot obey himself will be commanded. That is the nature of living creatures
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 'Of the Thousand and One Goals'
Distrust all in whom the impulse to punish is powerful
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part II, Of the Tarantulas
One must give value to their existence by behaving as if one’s very existence were a work of art.
— The Gay Science, Book IV, Aphorism 290
The thought of suicide is a great consolation: by means of it one gets through many a dark night
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 157
All credibility, all good conscience, all evidence of truth comes only from the senses
— Twilight of the Idols, 'The Problem of Socrates'
He who despises himself nonetheless respects himself as one who despises
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 78
He who cannot find peace in himself will seek it in vain elsewhere
— Untimely Meditations, Schopenhauer as Educator
To enjoy the things we ought and to hate the things we ought has the greatest bearing on excellence of character
— The Gay Science, Book I, Aphorism 21
We do not place ourselves under our control but under something foreign: growing, educating, instructing, guiding, inspiring must all be measured by the standard of us wanting to become something we are not
— Twilight of the Idols, The Four Great Errors, 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, Part III, On the Vision and the Riddle
Is life not a thousand times too short for us to bore ourselves?
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 227
That which does not kill us makes us stronger
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows, 8
He who cannot put his thoughts on ice should not enter into the heat of dispute
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 54
He who has a why to live can bear almost any how
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows, 12
There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Chapter 'On Reading and Writing'
The greatest events—they are not our loudest but our stillest hours
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part II, The Stillest Hour
Every profound spirit needs a mask; even more, around every profound spirit a mask is continually growing.
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 40
Invisible threads are the strongest ties
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 54
There are no facts, only interpretations
— Nachlass, 1886-1887
Man is something that shall be overcome. What have you done to overcome him?
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Prologue, Section 4
It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 76
Everything the State says is a lie, and everything it has it has stolen
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part I, On the New Idol
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 193
Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 146
Whoever despises himself nonetheless respects himself as one who despises
— Beyond Good and Evil, section 78
All idealism is mendaciousness in the face of necessity
— The Antichrist, Section 16
He who possesses genius must sometimes seem not to possess it, in order to be more bearable to others
— The Gay Science, Book IV, Aphorism 305
Become who you are
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Chapter: Of the Higher Man
Every deep thinker is more afraid of being understood than of being misunderstood
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 289
All things are subject to interpretation whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power and not truth
— Beyond Good and Evil, Section 211
To become what one is, one must not have the faintest notion what one is
— Ecce Homo, Why I Am So Wise
Love to be hidden. You will become the more famous
— Daybreak, Aphorism 182
Whoever must be a creator always annihilates
— Twilight of the Idols, Skirmishes of an Untimely Man, section 8
Madness is rare in individuals—but in groups, parties, nations, and ages it is the rule
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 156
What does your conscience say?—'You should become the person you are.'
— The Gay Science, section 270
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 192
He who climbs upon the highest mountains laughs at all tragedies, real or imaginary
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Chapter: Of Reading and Writing
To forget one’s purpose is the commonest form of stupidity
— The Antichrist, Section 57
Every profound spirit needs a mask
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 40
The higher we soar the smaller we appear to those who cannot fly
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part III, On the Tarantulas
The snake which cannot cast its skin has to die
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Chapter: Of the Bestowing Virtue
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
One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Prologue, section 5
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 III, On the Spirit of Gravity
There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part I, On the Despisers of the Body
All truths are bloody truths to me
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 'Of the Bestowing Virtue'
All great things must first wear terrifying and monstrous masks in order to inscribe themselves on the hearts of humanity
— Beyond Good and Evil, section 40
Morality is the herd-instinct in the individual
— The Gay Science, Book III, Aphorism 116
It is not when truth is dirty, but when it is shallow, that the lover of knowledge is reluctant to step into its waters
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 146
Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 483
He who despises himself still respects himself as one who despises
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 78
Without music, life would be a mistake
— Twilight of the Idols, 'Maxims and Arrows', Aphorism 33
Every word is a prejudice
— The Wanderer and His Shadow, Aphorism 55
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 41
Talking much about oneself can also be a means to conceal oneself
— Ecce Homo, Why I Am So Wise, section 4
In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Chapter: Of the Child with the Mirror
Only as an aesthetic phenomenon is existence and the world eternally justified
— The Birth of Tragedy, Section 5
Art is the proper task of life
— The Will to Power, Book III, Aphorism 796
When you look into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 146