He had learned long ago that, in general, the easier it was for anxious patients to reach him, the less likely they were to call. (107)
Irvin D. YalomRead
A curious thought experiment. . . Nietzsche's message to us was to live life in such a way that we would be willing to repeat the same life eternally
Interpretation
What this quote means
Nietzsche encourages us to live our lives fully and meaningfully, as if we would have to relive each moment eternally.
The quote reflects Friedrich Nietzsche's concept of eternal recurrence, suggesting that we should evaluate our lives and choices as if we would repeat them eternally. This thought experiment challenges us to live passionately and authentically, prompting meaningful reflection about our values and decisions, pushing us to create lives we are proud of and willing to experience infinitely.
Themes
NietzscheEternal RecurrenceLifeMeaningPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about meaningful living, one might recall Nietzsche's eternal recurrence to encourage others to reflect on their choices.
More from Irvin D. Yalom
All quotes βA sense of life meaning ensues but cannot be deliberately pursued: life meaning is always a derivative phenomenon that materializes when we have transcended ourselves, when we have forgotten ourselves and become absorbed in someone (or something) outside ourselves
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Marriage and its entourage of possession and jealousy enslave the spirit.
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It is wrong to bear children out of need, wrong to use a child to alleviate loneliness, wrong to provide purpose in life by reproducing another copy of oneself. It is wrong also to seek immortality by spewing one's germ into the future as though sperm contains your consciousness!
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Life is a spark between two identical voids, the darkness before birth and the one after death.
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I dream of a love that is more than two people craving to possess one another.
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