Christianity remains to this day the greatest misfortune of humanity.
Friedrich NietzscheRead
The belief in authority is the source of conscience; which is therefore not the voice of God in the heart of man, but the voice of some men in man.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote challenges the notion of conscience, suggesting that it is influenced more by societal authority than divine inspiration.
Friedrich Nietzsche's quote addresses the concept of conscience, proposing that it arises not from an inherent divine voice within individuals, but rather from external authority figures. He argues that our moral guidance is shaped by the beliefs and dictates of others rather than a direct connection to a higher spiritual power, thus questioning the purity and authenticity of our moral compass.
Themes
ConscienceAuthorityMoralitySocietyNietzsche
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be shared in a philosophy class to stimulate discussion on the origins of moral beliefs.
More from Friedrich Nietzsche
All quotes βThat which does not kill us makes us stronger.
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Hope in reality is the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torments of man.
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Watch them clamber, these swift monkeys! They clamber over one another and thus drag one another into the mud and the depth. They all want to get to the throne: that is their madness β as if happiness sat on the throne. Often, mud sits on the throne β and often the throne also on mud. Mad they all appear to me, clambering monkeys and overardent. Foul smells their idol, the cold monster: foul, they smell to me altogether, these idolators.
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Reason is the cause of our falsification of the evidence of the senses. In so far as the senses show becoming, passing away, change, they do not lie.
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The anarchist and the Christian have a common origin.
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