Christianity remains to this day the greatest misfortune of humanity.
Friedrich NietzscheRead
Suspicious.- To admit a belief merely because it is a custom - but that means to be dishonest, cowardly, lazy! - And so could dishonesty, cowardice and laziness be the preconditions for morality?
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote critiques the uncritical acceptance of beliefs based solely on tradition, suggesting that such behavior is morally questionable.
In this quote, Friedrich Nietzsche challenges the idea of adhering to beliefs simply because they are customary. He argues that accepting beliefs without critical examination can be seen as dishonest, cowardly, and lazy, raising the question of whether such traits could ever serve as a foundation for genuine morality. Nietzsche’s thought prompts us to reflect upon our beliefs and evaluate their validity beyond societal expectations.
Themes
BeliefsCustomsMoralityCritical ThinkingPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate on morality, one might use this quote to emphasize the importance of questioning societal norms.
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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