Christianity remains to this day the greatest misfortune of humanity.
Friedrich NietzscheRead
That a person cannot and consequently will not defend himself, does not yet cast disgrace upon him in our eyes ; but we despise the person who has neither the ability nor the good will for revenge whether it be a man or a woman.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote discusses the notion of defense and revenge, highlighting our judgments of individuals based on their ability and willingness to retaliate.
Friedrich Nietzsche reflects on the societal perceptions of individuals who do not defend themselves. He suggests that a lack of ability or will for revenge is viewed with disdain, indicating that society often values strength and assertiveness. This quote opens up discussions about morality, power dynamics, and the complexities of human relationships, suggesting that the capacity to retaliate is subtly intertwined with how we assess a person's character.
Themes
DefenseRevengeSocietyPerceptionMorality
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be shared in a discussion about the ethics of revenge during a philosophy class.
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.
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