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Under conditions of peace the warlike man attacks himself.
Friedrich Nietzsche
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Nietzsche suggests that in times of peace, those with a combative nature may turn their aggression inward.

Friedrich Nietzsche's quote highlights the idea that aggressive and warlike individuals often find themselves in conflict during peaceful times, leading to self-destructive behavior. Instead of directing their energy outward, they may engage in self-criticism, doubt, or even self-sabotage, illustrating a profound internal struggle that reflects their nature in the absence of external conflict.

Themes

Self-AttackPeaceInternal ConflictAggressionNietzsche

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about mental health, one might say, 'As Nietzsche pointed out, under conditions of peace, the warlike man attacks himself, reminding us of the importance of self-compassion.'

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Christianity remains to this day the greatest misfortune of humanity.
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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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