Christianity remains to this day the greatest misfortune of humanity.
Friedrich NietzscheRead
At the bottom of all these noble races the beast of prey, the splendid blond beast, prowling about avidly in search of spoil and victory.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Nietzsche emphasizes the primal instincts that drive humanity beneath refined characteristics.
This quote by Friedrich Nietzsche reflects on the inherent animalistic instincts present in humanity, suggesting that beneath the surface of civility and nobility, there lurks a natural beast driven by the desire for dominance and success. Nietzsche often explored themes of power and instinct in his philosophy, and this statement serves to remind us that despite our noble pursuits, a more primal nature often influences our actions, particularly in the pursuit of victory and achievement.
Themes
Human NatureInstinctPowerVictoryPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the nature of competition in sports, this quote can highlight the primal instincts that drive athletes.
More from Friedrich Nietzsche
All quotes βThat 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 β as if happiness sat on the throne. Often, mud sits on the throne β 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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They whose guilt within their bosom lies, imagine every eye beholds their blame.
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Oh what can ail thee, knight-at-arms, Alone and palely loitering?
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