Nietzsche's Phrases: The 30 most striking ones

George Alvarez 18-10-2023
George Alvarez

At first we know that Friedrich Nietzsche is one of the most important thinkers in world philosophy. Author of works such as Thus Spoke Zarathustra (1885) e Genealogy of Morals (1887), He was a profound scholar and questioner. His ideas and works have left a vast legacy. That's why, in this post, we'll take a look at 30 Nietzsche's phrases Besides knowing and reflecting on them, you can also post them on social networks.

Author's Biography

Youth

First of all, on October 15, 1844, in the village of Röcken in Prussia (now Germany), Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was born. His family, especially his mother Franziska Oehler, was Christian. Religion had an important presence in his life until his youth.

In 1849, his father Karl Ludwig Nietzsche and his brother Ludwig Joseph Nietzsche died, and Friederich moved with his mother and sister to Naumburg, where they lived with other relatives.

After that, in 1858, Friedrich entered Schulpfort's Lyceum as a scholarship student. The school was important in his intellectual and human formation. There he met Paul Deussen, the future historian of philosophy, and started a friendship that lasted for many years. Already in 1864 he entered the University of Bonn for theology and philology courses with Paul Deussen. Some time later he went on to studyonly Philology, especially under the influence of his professors Friedrich W. Ritschl and Otto Jahn.

Adulthood

In 1865, Ritschl began teaching at the University of Leipzig, and Nietzsche accompanied him, staying there. There he continued his philological studies. In the same year, he came into contact with the work " The world as will and representation". by Arthur Schopenhauer, which transformed the young student's ideas.

Nietzsche continued to study authors from Greek and Latin antiquity, but his interest turned more and more to philosophy. "The History of Materialism "Through the work, he learns about Kant's philosophy, English positivism, etc.

Military service

In 1867, he joins the Military Service. A year later, he suffered an accident, being wounded in the chest and, as a consequence, suffering an infection. He remained under medical care until August of that year at a treatment plant in the city of Bad-Wittekind.

After his recovery, he returned to Naumburg. In 1868, after continuing his philological studies, his master Ritschl appointed him to the chair of Greek language and literature at the University of Basel in Switzerland. Then, in 1869, Nietzsche began his work at the University and subsequently adopted Swiss citizenship.

Finally, in 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War, not being able to fight, he worked as an infirmarian. Once, while working, he contracted diphtheria and had to be treated. Gradually, his health improved, and finally he was able to return to Basel.

Academic Life

With the publication, in 1871, of " The Birth of Tragedy". Between January and March 1872, Nietzsche gave five lectures on the problems and deficiencies of teaching in Prussian universities.

As a result, between 1873 and 1874 he published the four volumes of Untimely Considerations . But in 1878, because of failing health, he retired from his duties at the University of Basel and received a pension. The following years were dedicated to traveling, meeting intellectuals, more contact with friends, and writing. With the money received from the pension, he was able to publish some of his works.

Origin of Nietzsche's Phrases

In short, Friedrich Nietzsche experienced love failures, some health problems, and family difficulties. He faced obstacles in pursuing his academic and intellectual career.

Today, his main works are:

  • Too Human (1878);
  • Thus Spoke Zarathustra (1885);
  • Beyond Good and Evil (1886);
  • The Gaia Science (1887);
  • Genealogy of Morals (1887);
  • Twilight of the Idols (1888);
  • The Antichrist (1888);
  • Ecce Homo (1888) .

Finally, Nietzsche died in Weimar (Prussia) on August 25, 1900, at the age of 56, already suffering from serious psychological problems. He left an important legacy to philosophy, history, and literature.

Nietzsche's most striking phrases

"All the instincts that have no outlet, that some repressive force prevents from coming to the surface, return inward - is what I call internalization of man "(Genealogy of Morals)

"The advantage of a bad memory is that one often enjoys the same things for the first time." (Too Human I)

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"The flame is not so bright for itself as for the others it illuminates: likewise the wise man." (Too Human I)

"A profession is the backbone of life." (Too Human I)

"Raging waters drag with them many pebbles and debris; strong spirits drag many empty and confused heads." (Too Human I)

"The least equivocal indication of contempt for men is that of not valuing each one except as a means to achieve your own end or not." (Too Human I)

"Many are obstinate about the path once taken, little about the goals." (Too Human I)

"Our own being says to the Self, "Taste pains!" and suffers and meditates in order not to suffer any more; and for this it must think" (Thus Spoke Zarathustra)

"Our own being says to the Self, "Taste joys!" it then rejoices, and thinks of continuing to rejoice often; and for that it must think." (Thus Spoke Zarathustra)

"The Body is a reason in a big point, a multiplicity with a single sense, a war and a peace, a flock and a shepherd." ( Thus Spoke Zarathustra)

"Love brings out the elevated and hidden qualities of the one it loves - what is rare, exceptional in him: in so doing, it deceives about what is the norm in him." (Beyond Good and Evil)

"If spouses didn't live together, good marriages would be more common." (Too Human I)

"Love forgives the loved one even the desire" (The Gaia Science)

More phrases by Nietzsche

"One thing is necessary to have: a spirit light by nature or a spirit made light by art and science." (Too Human I)

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"A soul that knows itself loved, but does not love, reveals its sediment: what lies deep within comes to the surface." (Beyond Good and Evil)

"Rude men who feel offended usually see the degree of the offense as as high as possible, and report their cause in rather exaggerated terms, just so that they can regale themselves in the feeling of hatred and revenge aroused."(Too Human I)

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"When a religion begins to dominate, it has as its adversaries those who were its first adherents." (Too Human I)

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"Music, in itself, is not so significant to our inner world, so deeply moving, that it can avail as an immediate language of feeling; but its ancestral connection with poetry has put so much symbolism into the rhythmic movement, into the intensity or weakness of the tone, that today we imagine that it speaks directly to our inmost being and departs from it." (Too Human I)

"The whole science gained continuity and stability only when the art of good reading, that is, philology, reached its apogee." (Too Human I)

"For both sides, the most unpleasant way to respond to a polemical attack is to become bored and silent, for usually the attacker interprets silence as a sign of disdain."(Too Human I)

"Under certain circumstances, almost every politician has such a need of an honest man, that like a hungry wolf he bursts into a sheepfold: not to devour the lamb he kidnaps, however, but to hide behind his woolly back." (Too Human I)

Latest phrases by Nietzsche

"The reader's double unkindness to the author consists in praising his second book over his first (or the other way around), demanding that the author be grateful to him for it." (Too Human Too Human II)

"The worst readers are those who act like marauding soldiers: they take away something they may need, defile and disarrange the rest, and defame the whole." (Too Human Too Human II)

"Good writers have two things in common: they would rather be understood than admired, and they don't write for scathing and overly acute readers." (Too Human Too Human II)

"The good thinker has expectation of readers who feel like him the happiness there is in thinking well; so that a cool and sober looking book, seen with the right eyes, may appear surrounded by the sunshine of spiritual serenity and as a true consolation to the soul."(Human Too Human II)

"A good sentence is too hard for the teeth of the age and will not be consumed for millennia, though it serves as food for every age: therein lies the great paradox of literature, the imperishable amidst the changeable, the food which is always appreciated, like salt, and which, also like salt, never becomes tasteless."(Too Human Too Human II)

"The public easily confuses those who fish in troubled waters with those who reap from the depths."(Too Human Too Human II)

To ponder

"When we put the truth upside down, we usually don't notice that our head is not where it should be either." (Too Human II)

"The intolerant and arrogant person does not appreciate graciousness and perceives it as a living objection against you; for it is the tolerance of the heart in gesture and movement." (Human Too Human II)

"Since men esteem, after all, only what was founded long ago and developed slowly, he who wishes to continue living after his death must care not only for posterity, but above all for the past: this is why tyrants of all kinds (also tyrannical artists and politicians) like to violate history, in order that it may appear as a preparation and ladder leading to them."(Too Human II)

Final considerations

In this post you have seen a little about the life and work of Friedrich Nietzsche, and you have also come into contact with some of the author's thought. So we hope you will be excited to start or continue reading the German thinker's books.

The complexity of Nietzsche's thought is an invitation to study his references, his influences, and the historical context in which he produced his work. It is possible to read introductory works that explain some important concepts from his books.

Finally, if you have the goal of studying and understanding Nietzsche's thought, it might be good to get in touch with Psychoanalysis. If you are interested in getting to know the field of Psychoanalysis or deepening your knowledge in it, be sure to check out the Clinical Psychoanalysis Course. It is totally online (EAD), has main and extra material included and has an excellent price. That way,you will be able to understand even more Nietzche's phrases And if you need more information or want to enroll, check out our website.

George Alvarez

George Alvarez is a renowned psychoanalyst who has been practicing for over 20 years and is highly regarded in the field. He is a sought-after speaker and has conducted numerous workshops and training programs on psychoanalysis for professionals in the mental health industry. George is also an accomplished writer and has authored several books on psychoanalysis that have received critical acclaim. George Alvarez is dedicated to sharing his knowledge and expertise with others and has created a popular blog on Online Training Course in Psychoanalysis that is widely followed by mental health professionals and students around the world. His blog provides a comprehensive training course that covers all aspects of psychoanalysis, from theory to practical applications. George is passionate about helping others and is committed to making a positive difference in the lives of his clients and students.