Christianity remains to this day the greatest misfortune of humanity.
The hypocrite who always plays one and the same part ceases at last to be a hypocrite.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A hypocrite eventually loses the essence of hypocrisy by becoming so entrenched in their role.
This quote by Friedrich Nietzsche reflects on the nature of hypocrisy and identity. It suggests that when a person consistently acts in a certain way, even if that is hypocritical, they lose the ability to separate their true self from the facade they present to the world. The line implies a transformation where the role played becomes part of the identity, leading to a paradox where the hypocrite no longer recognizes themselves as such, thus creating a deeper commentary on authenticity and self-deception.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about personal integrity during a philosophy class.
More from Friedrich Nietzsche
All quotes βThat which does not kill us makes us stronger.
Hope in reality is the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torments of man.
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.
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.
The anarchist and the Christian have a common origin.
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