Thus Spake Zarathustra — Friedrich Nietzsche

Thus Spake Zarathustra

Friedrich Nietzsche · License: Public domain · Source

• But that ye may understand my gospel of good and evil, for that purpose will I tell you my gospel of life, and of the nature of all living things. ¶1450
• The living thing did I follow; I walked in the broadest and narrowest paths to learn its nature. ¶1451
• With a hundred-faced mirror did I catch its glance when its mouth was shut, so that its eye might speak unto me. And its eye spake unto me. ¶1452
• But wherever I found living things, there heard I also the language of obedience. All living things are obeying things. ¶1453
• And this heard I secondly: Whatever cannot obey itself, is commanded. Such is the nature of living things. ¶1454
• This, however, is the third thing which I heard--namely, that commanding is more difficult than obeying. And not only because the commander beareth the burden of all obeyers, and because this burden readily crusheth him:-- ¶1455
• An attempt and a risk seemed all commanding unto me; and whenever it commandeth, the living thing risketh itself thereby. ¶1456
• Yea, even when it commandeth itself, then also must it atone for its commanding. Of its own law must it become the judge and avenger and victim. ¶1457
• How doth this happen! so did I ask myself. What persuadeth the living thing to obey, and command, and even be obedient in commanding? ¶1458
• Hearken now unto my word, ye wisest ones! Test it seriously, whether I have crept into the heart of life itself, and into the roots of its heart! ¶1459
• Wherever I found a living thing, there found I Will to Power; and even in the will of the servant found I the will to be master. ¶1460
• That to the stronger the weaker shall serve--thereto persuadeth he his will who would be master over a still weaker one. That delight alone he is unwilling to forego. ¶1461
• And as the lesser surrendereth himself to the greater that he may have delight and power over the least of all, so doth even the greatest surrender himself, and staketh--life, for the sake of power. ¶1462
• It is the surrender of the greatest to run risk and danger, and play dice for death. ¶1463
• And where there is sacrifice and service and love-glances, there also is the will to be master. By by-ways doth the weaker then slink into the fortress, and into the heart of the mightier one--and there stealeth power. ¶1464
• And this secret spake Life herself unto me. "Behold," said she, "I am that WHICH MUST EVER SURPASS ITSELF. ¶1465
• To be sure, ye call it will to procreation, or impulse towards a goal, towards the higher, remoter, more manifold: but all that is one and the same secret. ¶1466
• Rather would I succumb than disown this one thing; and verily, where there is succumbing and leaf-falling, lo, there doth Life sacrifice itself--for power! ¶1467
• That I have to be struggle, and becoming, and purpose, and cross-purpose--ah, he who divineth my will, divineth well also on what CROOKED paths it hath to tread! ¶1468
• Whatever I create, and however much I love it,--soon must I be adverse to it, and to my love: so willeth my will. ¶1469
• And even thou, discerning one, art only a path and footstep of my will: verily, my Will to Power walketh even on the feet of thy Will to Truth! ¶1470
• He certainly did not hit the truth who shot at it the formula: 'Will to existence': that will--doth not exist! ¶1471
• For what is not, cannot will; that, however, which is in existence--how could it still strive for existence! ¶1472
• Only where there is life, is there also will: not, however, Will to Life, but--so teach I thee--Will to Power! ¶1473
• Much is reckoned higher than life itself by the living one; but out of the very reckoning speaketh--the Will to Power!"-- ¶1474
• Thus did Life once teach me: and thereby, ye wisest ones, do I solve you the riddle of your hearts. ¶1475
• Verily, I say unto you: good and evil which would be everlasting--it doth not exist! Of its own accord must it ever surpass itself anew. ¶1476
• With your values and formulae of good and evil, ye exercise power, ye valuing ones: and that is your secret love, and the sparkling, trembling, and overflowing of your souls. ¶1477
• But a stronger power groweth out of your values, and a new surpassing: by it breaketh egg and egg-shell. ¶1478
• And he who hath to be a creator in good and evil--verily, he hath first to be a destroyer, and break values in pieces. ¶1479
• Thus doth the greatest evil pertain to the greatest good: that, however, is the creating good.-- ¶1480
• Let us SPEAK thereof, ye wisest ones, even though it be bad. To be silent is worse; all suppressed truths become poisonous. ¶1481
• And let everything break up which--can break up by our truths! Many a house is still to be built!-- ¶1482
• Calm is the bottom of my sea: who would guess that it hideth droll monsters! ¶1485
• Unmoved is my depth: but it sparkleth with swimming enigmas and laughters. ¶1486
• A sublime one saw I to-day, a solemn one, a penitent of the spirit: Oh, how my soul laughed at his ugliness! ¶1487
• With upraised breast, and like those who draw in their breath: thus did he stand, the sublime one, and in silence: ¶1488
• O'erhung with ugly truths, the spoil of his hunting, and rich in torn raiment; many thorns also hung on him--but I saw no rose. ¶1489
• Not yet had he learned laughing and beauty. Gloomy did this hunter return from the forest of knowledge. ¶1490
• From the fight with wild beasts returned he home: but even yet a wild beast gazeth out of his seriousness--an unconquered wild beast! ¶1491

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