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Where is the lightning to lick you with its tongue? Where is the madness with which you should be cleansed? Behold, I show you the Superman. He is this lightning, he is this madness.
Friedrich Nietzsche
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote reflects on the transformative nature of the 'Superman' concept and challenges conventional morality.

In this quote, Nietzsche introduces the idea of the 'Superman' as a figure embodying extraordinary qualities that can provoke both fear and admiration. The imagery of lightning and madness suggests a radical departure from traditional values, implying that true greatness comes from embracing chaos and transcendence, rather than conforming to societal norms. Nietzsche challenges individuals to seek their own paths and redefine what it means to be human.

Themes

NietzscheSupermanLightningMadnessTransformation

In practice

Example use cases

In a lecture on personal development, a speaker might quote Nietzsche to inspire attendees to explore their potential.

More from Friedrich Nietzsche

Christianity remains to this day the greatest misfortune of humanity.
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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.
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