Christianity remains to this day the greatest misfortune of humanity.
Friedrich NietzscheRead
When one rows it is not the rowing which moves the ship: rowing is only a magical ceremony by means of which one compels a demon to move the ship.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that our efforts may seem like the direct cause of progress, but there are deeper forces at play.
Friedrich Nietzsche's quote reflects on the nature of human effort and the influence of unseen forces in the world. It implies that while we might engage in activities like rowing or working hard, it is not these actions themselves that drive the outcomes; rather, they are ceremonial rituals that invoke the assistance of greater powers, or 'demons', that truly guide our journeys. This perspective encourages a deeper contemplation of the relationship between our actions and the forces beyond our control that shape our destinies.
Themes
EffortInfluenceForcesOutcomesAction
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about perseverance and unseen influences in our careers.
More from Friedrich Nietzsche
All quotes →That which does not kill us makes us stronger.
Friedrich NietzscheRead
Hope in reality is the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torments of man.
Friedrich NietzscheRead
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.
Friedrich NietzscheRead
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.
Friedrich NietzscheRead
The anarchist and the Christian have a common origin.
Friedrich NietzscheRead
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