Friedrich Nietzsche

“ And, strange to say, those very spirits which the Germans had so eloquently conjured up, proved in the long run most harmful to the intentions of their conjurors; history, the comprehension of origin and development, the sympathy with the past, the newly stirred up passion of feeling and knowledge, after having been for some time helpmates of the obscuring, vague, retrograde spirit, one day assumed a new nature and are now soaring on outstretched wings past their conjurors, up on high, as new and stronger geniii of that very enlightenment against which they had been raised. ”

“ Unconditional homage.—When I think of the beststudied German philosopher, the most popular German musician, the most distinguished German statesman, I admit that the Germans—this nation of unconditional feeling—are much imposed upon, and that, too, by their own great men. We see spread out before us a threefold splendid sight: in each case a stream, coursing along its own self-wrought bed, so mightily agitated that often it would seem to flow uphill. And yet, however highly we may cultivate this worship, who would not, in the main, like to differ from Schopenhauer? ”

“ Thus in him, the sketcher of men, that culture of the most unprejudiced knowledge of the world gives forth its last elicious bloom, which found its poet in Sophocles, its statesman in Pericles, its physician in Hippocrates, its natural philosopher in Democritus—that culture which deserves to be named after its teachers, the Sophists, and which, unfortunately, from that hour of its baptism, at once begins to grow pale and incomprehensible to us, for now we suspect that it must have been a most immoral culture which was opposed by Plato and all the Socratic schools. ”

“ How little can people nowadays rejoice in their own selves if such a tyranny of fear prescribes the highest moral law to them, if they, so yieldingly, allow themselves to be ordered to turn their eyes from above and around themselves, yet to have lynx-eyes for every distress and suffering elsewhere. Are we then, with our gigantic purpose of smoothing away every sharp edge and corner in life, not on a fair way of turning mankind into sand? ”

“ For to complete the picture of the happiest, every nobleman had in his mind the consummate arbitrariness and mischievousness of the tyrant, who sacrifices everything and everybody to his own presumptuousness and lust. Among people who secretly and gently raved about such happiness, the veneration of the State could, indeed, not be rooted too deeply,—but I think that people whose passion for power does not rage as blindly as did that of the nobleborn Greeks, are no longer in need of that idolatry of “State," whereby, in times of yore, that passion was kept in check. ”

“ Well, if a people so constituted be bent on morals, of what kind will be the morals that may satisfy them? They certainly will first of all wish to see their genuine craving for obedience idealised in them. “Man must have something which he may implicitly obey,"—this is a German sentiment, German consistency: it is the basis of all German moral precepts. How different is the impression when we survey the whole field of morality! ”

“ It is not real want, they are not without means; perhaps they even have enough to eat and to drink without harassing care —but a terrible impatience at the slow piling up of money, and an equally terrible longing and love for these piles, urges them on, day and night. But in this inpatience and this love there reappears that fanaticism of the thirst for power which formerly was stimulated by the belief that we were in the possession of truth, and which was called by such beautiful names that we could be inhuman and yet preserve a clear conscience. ”

“ Making society safe against thieves and fire, and thoroughly fit for all trade and traffic, and transforming the State in a good and evil sense into a kind of Providencethese are low, moderate, and by no means indispensable aims, which we ought not to strive after with the highest meals and instruments in existence—these we ought to reserve for our highest and rarest aims. Our age, however much it may talk about economy, is a lavisher: it lavishes the most precious thing of all—the intellect. ”

“ They themselves know best that a conquest of Enrope or any act of violence are quite out of the question: but they know that, some time or other, Europe may fall as a ripe fruit into their hands if they would only just extend then. Meanwhile it is necessary that they should distinguish themselves in all departments of European distinction and stand among the foremost: till they shall have advanced so far as to determine that which shall give distinction. Then they will be called the inventors and guides of the people of Europe, and cease to offend their sense of proportion. ”

“ Small inconventionalities are needed.—Acting sometimes against our better insight in matters of custom, yielding in practice whilst reserving our intellectual freedom, doing like everybody else, and thereby showing consideration and kindness to all, as a compensation, so to speak, for what may be unconventional in our opinions, —all this is looked upon by many tolerably free-minded people not only as safe, but even as honourable," humane, tolerant, unpecantic," and whatever else may be the beautiful words by which the intellectual conscience is lulled to sleep. ”

“ In the same sense, perhaps, also music will see better days (they will certainly be more evil ones!) when artists will have to appeal with their music to strictly personal beings, hearts of oak, ruled over by the gloomy asperity of their own passion; but of what advantage is music to the present little souls of the vanishing age, souls too versatile, too little developed, half personal, inquisitive, which hanker after everything? ”

“ Their manners teach us that their souls have never been inspired with chivalrous, noble feelings, nor their bodies girt with beautiful arms: a certain obtrusiveness alternates in them with a frequently tender, nearly always painful submissiveness. But now that their intermarriage withi the gentlest blood of Europe inevitably grows more common from year to year, they will soon have a goodly heritage of manners both intellectual and physical: and, in another hundred years, they will look genteel enough, so as not to make themselves as masters ridiculous before those they have subdued. ”

“ Such would be the criminal of a possible future, if, indeed, we presuppose at the same time a future legislation founded on the idea, "I will yield in great things as in small only to that law which I myself have given." How many experiments will yet have to be made! How many a future will yet have to dawn upon mankind! ”

“ This indisputable advantage of aristocratic culture, which is based on the consciousness of ascendancy, is now beginning to rise to an ever higher level, it being permissible and no longer disgraceful for people of noble extraction and education to enter the order of knowledge and there to obtain intellectual ordinations, to learn chivalrous services higher than those of previous times and to look up to that ideal of victorious wisdom which never as yet any age has been able to set up with a safe conscience except that age which is just now dawning upon us. ”

“ Whilst your car's are ringing with the flute-sounds of the socialistic rat-charmers who wish to fill you with wild hopes; who bid you be ready and nothing else, ready from this day to the morrow, so that you may be waiting and waiting for something from outside, living in all other respects as you lived before—until this waiting shall be turned into hunger and thirst, fever and madness, and the day of the triumphant beast at last will dawn in all its glory? ”

“ How to lend prestige to one's country.—A wealth of great inward experiences and reposeful calm watching over them with an intellectual eye, constitute the men of culture, who lend prestige to their country. In France and Italy this was the task of the nobility; in Germany, where until lately the nobility was generally composed of men who were poor in intellect (which we hope they may soon cease to be) , it was the task of the priests, the teachers, and their descendants. ”

“ It is to souls capable of feeling pity in such wise that tragedy appeals to hard and warlike souls, which are difficult to conquer, whether through fear or through pity, but which are greatly benefited by an occasional melting: but of what use is tragedy to those who are as open to the sympathetic affections as the sails are to the winds? When, in Plato's time, the Athenians had become more soft-hearted and sensitive, oh, how far removed were they still from the gushing emotions of our city-people and townsfolk ! ”

“ The panegyrists of scork.—In the glorification of work, in the incessant chatter about the “blessings of work," I discover the same secret thought as in the praise of the benevolent, impersonal actious, namely, the dread of the individual. At the sight of work—which always implies that severe toil from morning till night—we really feel that such work is the best police, that it keeps everybody in bounds, and effectually checks the development of reason, of covetousness, of a desire after independence. ”

“ The impossible state.—Poverty, cheerfulness and independence—these are a possible combination; poverty, cheerfulness and slavery are likewise possible,—and I have nothing better to say to the men who serve as factory-slaves; provided that, in the way in which it is done, they do not altogether feel it as a disgrace that they are used up as screws of a machine and makeshifts, so to speak, of human art of invention. ”

“ Worship of the natural sounds.—Whither does it point that our culture not only bears with indulgence the expressions of pains, the tears, complaints, reproaches, the gestures of rage or of humiliation, but even sanctions them and reckons them among the nobler necessities— whereas the spirit of ancient philosophy scornfully looked down upon them, without admitting this necessity at all. Let us recall to our minds how Plato—not one of the most inhuman philosophers—speaks of the Philoctetus of the tragical stage. Is our modern culture perhaps waiting in philosophy"? ”

“ Of a possible future.—Can we not imagine an evil-doer denouncing himself, and publicly dictating his own punishment, in the proud consciousness of thus respecting the law which he himself has established, of exercising his power, the power of the legislator, in punishing himself? may for once offend, but, by his voluntary punishment, he raises himself above his offence; he not only wipes out his offense by candour, greatness and calmness, but he adds to it a public benefit. ”

“ The people of Israel.—One of the spectacles which the coming century holds in store for us, is the decision regarding the fate of the European Jews. There is not the slightest doubt that they have cast their die and traversed their Rubicon: the only thing which remains for them is either to become the master's of Europe or to lose Europe, as they once, ages ago, lost Egypt, where they had to face a similar dilemma. ”

“ The criticism on the ancestors.—Why do we now forbear the truth about even the most recent past? Because there is always a new generation which feels in opposition to this post, and enjoys in this criticism the firstfruit of the sense of power. Formerly the new generation, on the contrary, wished to build upon the older one, and begin to feel its power in not only adopting paternal views, but as far as possible tightening the bonds of observance. Criticism on the ancestors was at that time considered wicked: in our days the younger idealists make it their starting point. ”

“ Only in the far distance, in the swarming emigrations of colonists, we shall find out the true amount of reasonableness, fairness and wholesome distrust wherewith mother Europe has imbued her sons, — these sons who could no longer endure a life with the dull old woman, running the risk of growing its sullen, irritable and eager for pleasure as she herself has been. Far away from Europe, the virtues of Europe will be travelling along with these workmen ”

“ Better people.—They tell me that our art appeals to the greedy, insatiable, uncurbed, loathsome, harassed spirits of the present age, exhibiting to them a picture of bliss, loftiness and unworldliness alongside with that of their own crudeness that for once they may forget and breathe again, nay, perhaps even derive from that oblivion encouragement towards flight and conversion. Poor artists, with such a public as this, with bythoughts half of a priestly, half of the mad doctor's type! ”

“ For it consumes an enormous amount of nervous force, withdrawing it from reflection, brooding, dreaming, care, love, hatred; it always dangles a small object before the eye, affording easy and regular gratifications. Thus a society in which hard work is constantly being performed will enjoy greater security, and security is now worshipped as the supreme deity. ”

“ The time will come when the masses will be ready to sacrifice their lives, their goods and chattels, their consciences and their virtue, for the purpose of securing that highest of enjoyments and of ruling either in reality or in imagination as a victorious, tyrannical, arbitrary nation over other nations. ”

“ The morality which does not weary.—The chief moral commandments which a nation allows its teachers and preachers again and again to insist upon, are proportionate to its principal errors, and, therefore, not wearying. The Greeks who, but too frequently, set aside their moderation, cool courage, fair mindedness, and rationality, generally speaking, willingly welcomed the four Socratic virtues—for they were sorely in need of them, and, indeed, had very little talent for them. ”

“ The straying ones, who so often are the inventive and productive ones, shall no longer be sacrificed; it shall not even be deemed a disgrace to stray from morals either in deods or thoughts; numerous experiments shall be made in matters of life and society; an enormous incubus of bad conscience shall be removed from the world—these are the general aims which ought to be recognised and furthered by all honest and truthseeking people. ”