Thus Spake Zarathustra — Friedrich Nietzsche

Thus Spake Zarathustra

Friedrich Nietzsche · Licence: Public domain · Source

• Just see these superfluous ones! They steal the works of the inventors and the treasures of the wise. Culture, they call their theft--and everything becometh sickness and trouble unto them! ¶636
• Just see these superfluous ones! Sick are they always; they vomit their bile and call it a newspaper. They devour one another, and cannot even digest themselves. ¶637
• Just see these superfluous ones! Wealth they acquire and become poorer thereby. Power they seek for, and above all, the lever of power, much money--these impotent ones! ¶638
• See them clamber, these nimble apes! They clamber over one another, and thus scuffle into the mud and the abyss. ¶639
• Towards the throne they all strive: it is their madness--as if happiness sat on the throne! Ofttimes sitteth filth on the throne.--and ofttimes also the throne on filth. ¶640
• Madmen they all seem to me, and clambering apes, and too eager. Badly smelleth their idol to me, the cold monster: badly they all smell to me, these idolaters. ¶641
• My brethren, will ye suffocate in the fumes of their maws and appetites! Better break the windows and jump into the open air! ¶642
• Do go out of the way of the bad odour! Withdraw from the idolatry of the superfluous! ¶643
• Do go out of the way of the bad odour! Withdraw from the steam of these human sacrifices! ¶644
• Open still remaineth the earth for great souls. Empty are still many sites for lone ones and twain ones, around which floateth the odour of tranquil seas. ¶645
• Open still remaineth a free life for great souls. Verily, he who possesseth little is so much the less possessed: blessed be moderate poverty! ¶646
• There, where the state ceaseth--there only commenceth the man who is not superfluous: there commenceth the song of the necessary ones, the single and irreplaceable melody. ¶647
• There, where the state CEASETH--pray look thither, my brethren! Do ye not see it, the rainbow and the bridges of the Superman?-- ¶648
• Flee, my friend, into thy solitude! I see thee deafened with the noise of the great men, and stung all over with the stings of the little ones. ¶651
• Admirably do forest and rock know how to be silent with thee. Resemble again the tree which thou lovest, the broad-branched one--silently and attentively it o'erhangeth the sea. ¶652
• Where solitude endeth, there beginneth the market-place; and where the market-place beginneth, there beginneth also the noise of the great actors, and the buzzing of the poison-flies. ¶653
• In the world even the best things are worthless without those who represent them: those representers, the people call great men. ¶654
• Little do the people understand what is great--that is to say, the creating agency. But they have a taste for all representers and actors of great things. ¶655
• Around the devisers of new values revolveth the world:--invisibly it revolveth. But around the actors revolve the people and the glory: such is the course of things. ¶656
• Spirit, hath the actor, but little conscience of the spirit. He believeth always in that wherewith he maketh believe most strongly--in HIMSELF! ¶657
• Tomorrow he hath a new belief, and the day after, one still newer. Sharp perceptions hath he, like the people, and changeable humours. ¶658
• To upset--that meaneth with him to prove. To drive mad--that meaneth with him to convince. And blood is counted by him as the best of all arguments. ¶659
• A truth which only glideth into fine ears, he calleth falsehood and trumpery. Verily, he believeth only in Gods that make a great noise in the world! ¶660
• Full of clattering buffoons is the market-place,--and the people glory in their great men! These are for them the masters of the hour. ¶661
• But the hour presseth them; so they press thee. And also from thee they want Yea or Nay. Alas! thou wouldst set thy chair betwixt For and Against? ¶662
• On account of those absolute and impatient ones, be not jealous, thou lover of truth! Never yet did truth cling to the arm of an absolute one. ¶663
• On account of those abrupt ones, return into thy security: only in the market-place is one assailed by Yea? or Nay? ¶664
• Slow is the experience of all deep fountains: long have they to wait until they know WHAT hath fallen into their depths. ¶665
• Away from the market-place and from fame taketh place all that is great: away from the market-Place and from fame have ever dwelt the devisers of new values. ¶666
• Flee, my friend, into thy solitude: I see thee stung all over by the poisonous flies. Flee thither, where a rough, strong breeze bloweth! ¶667
• Flee into thy solitude! Thou hast lived too closely to the small and the pitiable. Flee from their invisible vengeance! Towards thee they have nothing but vengeance. ¶668
• Raise no longer an arm against them! Innumerable are they, and it is not thy lot to be a fly-flap. ¶669
• Innumerable are the small and pitiable ones; and of many a proud structure, rain-drops and weeds have been the ruin. ¶670
• Thou art not stone; but already hast thou become hollow by the numerous drops. Thou wilt yet break and burst by the numerous drops. ¶671
• Exhausted I see thee, by poisonous flies; bleeding I see thee, and torn at a hundred spots; and thy pride will not even upbraid. ¶672
• Blood they would have from thee in all innocence; blood their bloodless souls crave for--and they sting, therefore, in all innocence. ¶673
• But thou, profound one, thou sufferest too profoundly even from small wounds; and ere thou hadst recovered, the same poison-worm crawled over thy hand. ¶674
• Too proud art thou to kill these sweet-tooths. But take care lest it be thy fate to suffer all their poisonous injustice! ¶675
• They buzz around thee also with their praise: obtrusiveness, is their praise. They want to be close to thy skin and thy blood. ¶676
• They flatter thee, as one flattereth a God or devil; they whimper before thee, as before a God or devil. What doth it come to! Flatterers are they, and whimperers, and nothing more. ¶677

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