Wisdom of Friedrich Nietzsche

Friedrich Nietzsche (October 15th, 1844 – August 25th, 1900) was a German poet, philologist, philosopher, composer, and cultural critic whose work heavily influenced contemporary philosophy.

Below we list some words of wisdom by Friedrich Nietzsche.

"Do you want to have an easy life? Then always stay with the herd and lose yourself in the herd."

"Men who think deeply appear to be comedians in their dealings with others because they always have to feign superficiality in order to be understood."

"Young people love what is interesting and odd, no matter how true or false it is. More mature minds love what is interesting and odd about truth. Fully mature intellects, finally, love truth, even when it appears plain and simple, boring to the ordinary person; for they have noticed that truth tends to reveal its highest wisdom in the guise of simplicity."

"Sometimes people don't want to hear the truth because they don't want their illusions destroyed."

"There are two different types of people in the world, those who want to know, and those who want to believe."

"Nobody is more inferior than those who insist on being equal."

"There will always be rocks in the road ahead of us. They will be stumbling blocks or stepping stones; it all depends on how you use them."

"I was in darkness, but I took three steps and found myself in paradise. The first step was a good thought, the second, a good word; and the third, a good deed."

"To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering."

"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music."

"You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist."

"I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you."

"Enjoy life. This is not a dress rehearsal."

"There are horrible people who, instead of solving a problem, tangle it up and make it harder to solve for anyone who wants to deal with it. Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all."

"Our greatest experiences are our quietest moments."

"Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you."

"I know of no better life purpose than to perish in attempting the great and the impossible."

"Everything matters. Nothing's important."

"The tree that would grow to heaven must send its roots to hell."

"The higher we soar the smaller we appear to those who cannot fly."

"Love your enemies because they bring out the best in you."

"No price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself."

"Insanity in individuals is something rare - but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule."

"Call me whatever you like; I am who I must be."

"Everything the State says is a lie, and everything it has it has stolen."

"Those who are devoid of purpose will make the void their purpose."

"You must be ready to burn yourself in your own flame; how could you rise anew if you have not first become ashes?"

"It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages."

"One can promise actions, but not feelings, for the latter are involuntary. He who promises to love forever or hate forever or be forever faithful to someone is promising something that is not in his power."

"The Great Man... is colder, harder, less hesitating, and without fear of 'opinion'; he lacks the virtues that accompany respect and 'respectability,' and altogether everything that is the 'virtue of the herd.' If he cannot lead, he goes alone... He knows he is incommunicable: he finds it tasteless to be familiar... When not speaking to himself, he wears a mask. There is a solitude within him that is inaccessible to praise or blame."

"I am a forest, and a night of dark trees: but he who is not afraid of my darkness, will find banks full of roses under my cypresses."

"My solitude doesn’t depend on the presence or absence of people; on the contrary, I hate who steals my solitude without, in exchange, offering me true company."

"The real question is: How much truth can I stand?"

"And once you are awake, you shall remain awake ete
ally."

Copyright © Stephen Petullo, Scott Petullo