Friedrich Nietzsche

Being human is a complicated gig. So give that ol' dark night of the soul a hug. Howl the eternal yes!

The truth is ugly: we have art so as not to perish from the truth.

We ought to face our destiny with courage.

If we affirm one moment, we thus affirm not only ourselves but all existence. For nothing is self-sufficient, neither in us ourselves nor in things; and if our soul has trembled with happiness and sounded like a harp string just once, all eternity was needed to produce this one event - and in this single moment of affirmation all eternity was called good, redeemed, justified, and affirmed.

I am too inquisitive, too skeptical, too arrogant, to let myself be satisfied with an obvious and crass solution of things. God is such an obvious and crass solution; a solution which is a sheer indelicacy to us thinkers - at bottom He is really nothing but a coarse commandment against us: ye shall not think!

It was the sick and decaying who despised the body and earth and invented the heavenly realm and the redemptive drops of blood: but they took even these sweet and gloomy poisons from body and earth. They wanted to escape their own misery, and the stars were too far for them.

I want to speak to the despisers of the body. I would not have them learn and teach differently, but merely say farewell to their own bodies-- and thus become silent.

The danger in happiness - "Now everything is turning out right for me; from now on i'll love every turn of fate - Who wants to be my fate?

It is a terrible thought, to contemplate that an immense number of mediocre thinkers are occupied with really influential matters.

You look up when you wish to be exalted. And I look down because I am exalted.

We would not let ourselves be burned to death for our opinions: we are not sure enough of them for that.

And once you are awake, you shall remain awake eternally.

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

Is it better to out-monster the monster or to be quietly devoured?

Silence is worse; all truths that are kept silent become poisonous.

They would have to sing better songs for me to learn to have faith in their Redeemer; and his disciples would have to look more redeemed!

The life of the enemy . Whoever lives for the sake of combating an enemy has an interest in the enemy's staying alive.

Art is essentially the affirmation, the blessing, and the deification of existence.

We talk so abstractly about poetry because all of us are usually bad poets.

Weariness that wants to reach the ultimate with one leap, with one fatal leap, a poor ignorant weariness that does not want to want any more: this created all gods and afterworlds.

Indeed, at hearing the news that 'the old god is dead', we philosophers and 'free spirits' feel illuminated by a new dawn; our heart overflows with gratitude, amazement, forebodings, expectation - finally the horizon seems clear again, even if not bright; finally our ships may set out again, set out to face any danger; every daring of the lover of knowledge is allowed again; the sea, our sea, lies open again; maybe there has never been such an 'open sea'.