Christianity remains to this day the greatest misfortune of humanity.
Friedrich NietzscheRead
He who has attained the freedom of reason to any extent cannot, for a long time, regard himself otherwise than as a wanderer on the face of the earth - and not even as a traveler towards a final goal, for there is no such thing. But he certainly wants to observe and keep his eyes open to whatever actually happens in the world; therefore he cannot attach his heart too firmly to anything individual; he must have in himself something wandering that takes pleasure in change and transitoriness.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the idea that true understanding leads to a transient and open-minded approach to life, rather than a fixed destination.
In this quote, Nietzsche suggests that when one achieves a certain level of intellectual freedom and reason, they cannot simply see themselves as a traveler with a defined purpose or destination. Instead, they become more like a wanderer, embracing the uncertainties and impermanence of life. This perspective encourages a deep observation of the world and an appreciation for change, as attachment to any single idea or goal can hinder the joy of discovery and the acceptance of life's fluid nature.
Themes
FreedomReasonWandererChangeImpermanenceObservation
In practice
Example use cases
In a philosophical discussion about the nature of existence.
More from Friedrich Nietzsche
All quotes →That 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 — as if happiness sat on the throne. Often, mud sits on the throne — 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.
Friedrich NietzscheRead
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