Friedrich Nietzsche
Saturday, 12 October 2024
Nietzsche's Human, All Too Human (A book for free spirits) was published in 1878, following the breakdown in friendship with composer Richard Wagner. Nietzsche dedicated the original to Voltaire.
Our destiny exercises its influence over us even when, as yet, we have not learned its nature: it is our future that lays down the law of our today.
Human, All Too Human (1878)
Nietzsche Quotes
Change of Cast. - As soon as a religion comes to dominate it has as its opponents all those who would have been its first disciples.
Human, all too Human, s.118
Nietzsche Quotes
Blind pupils. - As long as a man knows very well the strength and weaknesses of his teaching, his art, his religion, its power is still slight. The pupil and apostle who, blinded by the authority of the master and by the piety he feels toward him, pays no attention to the weaknesses of a teaching, a religion, and soon usually has for that reason more power than the master. The influence of a man has never yet grown great without his blind pupils. To help a perception to achieve victory often means merely to unite it with stupidity so intimately that the weight of the latter also enforces the victory of the former.
Human, all too Human, s.122
Nietzsche Quotes
The everyday Christian. - If the Christian dogmas of a revengeful God, universal sinfulness, election by divine grace and the danger of eternal damnation were true, it would be a sign of weak-mindedness and lack of character not to become a priest, apostle or hermit and, in fear and trembling, to work solely on one's own salvation; it would be senseless to lose sight of ones eternal advantage for the sake of temporal comfort. If we may assume that these things are at any rate believed true, then the everyday Christian cuts a miserable figure; he is a man who really cannot count to three, and who precisely on account of his spiritual imbecility does not deserve to be punished so harshly as Christianity promises to punish him.
Human, all too Human, s.116
Nietzsche Quotes
But in the end one also has to understand that the needs that religion has satisfied and philosophy is now supposed to satisfy are not immutable; they can be weakened and exterminated. Consider, for example, that Christian distress of mind that comes from sighing over ones inner depravity and care for ones salvation - all concepts originating in nothing but errors of reason and deserving, not satisfaction, but obliteration.
Human, all too Human, s.27
Nietzsche Quotes
Destiny of Christianity. - Christianity came into existence in order to lighten the heart; but now it has first to burden the heart so as afterwards to be able to lighten it. Consequently it shall perish.
Human, all too Human, s.119
Nietzsche Quotes
Even today many educated people think that the victory of Christianity over Greek philosophy is a proof of the superior truth of the former - although in this case it was only the coarser and more violent that conquered the more spiritual and delicate. So far as superior truth is concerned, it is enough to observe that the awakening sciences have allied themselves point by point with the philosophy of Epicurus, but point by point rejected Christianity.
Human, all too Human, s.68
Nietzsche Quotes
One must have a good memory to be able to keep the promises one makes.
Human, All Too Human (1878). I.59
Nietzsche Quotes
Enemies of truth.-- Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies.
Human, all too Human, s.483
Nietzsche Quotes
Metaphysical world. - It is true, there could be a metaphysical world; the absolute possibility of it is hardly to be disputed. We behold all things through the human head and cannot cut off this head; while the question nonetheless remains what of the world would still be there if one had cut it off.
Human, All Too Human, s.9
Nietzsche Quotes
Truth. - No one now dies of fatal truths: there are too many antidotes to them.
Human, all too Human, s.516
Nietzsche Quotes
Liberalism is the transformation of mankind into cattle.
Human, All Too Human (1878). I.67
Nietzsche Quotes
Because we have for millenia made moral, aesthetic, religious demands on the world, looked upon it with blind desire, passion or fear, and abandoned ourselves to the bad habits of illogical thinking, this world has gradually become so marvelously variegated, frightful, meaningful, soulful, it has acquired color - but we have been the colorists: it is the human intellect that has made appearances appear and transported its erroneous basic conceptions into things.
Human, all too Human, s.16
Nietzsche Quotes
Every tradition grows ever more venerable - the more remote its origin, the more confused that origin is. The reverence due to it increases from generation to generation. The tradition finally becomes holy and inspires awe.
Human, All Too Human (1878). I.96
Nietzsche Quotes
The most dangerous party member. - In every party there is one who through his all too credulous avowal of the party's principles incites the others to apostasy.
Human, all too Human, s.298
Nietzsche Quotes
Friedrich Nietzsche Quote of the Day
Saturday, 12 October 2024If the Christian dogmas of a revengeful God, universal sinfulness, election by divine grace and the danger of eternal damnation were true, it would be a sign of weak-mindedness and lack of character not to become a priest, apostle or hermit and, in fear and trembling, to work solely on one's own salvation; it would be senseless to lose sight of one's eternal advantage for the sake of temporal comfort. If we may assume that these things are at any rate believed true, then the everyday Christian cuts a miserable figure; he is a man who really cannot count to three, and who precisely on account of his spiritual imbecility does not deserve to be punished so harshly as Christianity promises to punish him.Human, all too Human, p. 116, RJ Hollingdale transl.
