Christianity remains to this day the greatest misfortune of humanity.
Friedrich NietzscheRead
A man far oftener appears to have a decided character from persistently following his temperament than from persistently following his principles.
Interpretation
What this quote means
One's character is often shaped more by natural inclinations than by adherence to moral principles.
Friedrich Nietzsche suggests that a person's character is primarily defined by their inherent traits and behaviors rather than strictly by the ethical principles they choose to uphold. This implies that our innate tendencies and consistent behaviors often reveal more about who we are than our attempts to conform to a set of ideals or morals. In other words, authenticity in following our true nature can be more telling of our character than merely trying to live up to external standards of principles.
Themes
CharacterTemperamentPrinciplesNaturePhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
During a debate on personal ethics, one might quote Nietzsche to emphasize the importance of authenticity over strict moral adherence.
More from Friedrich Nietzsche
All quotes βThat which does not kill us makes us stronger.
Friedrich NietzscheRead
Hope in reality is the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torments of man.
Friedrich NietzscheRead
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.
Friedrich NietzscheRead
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.
Friedrich NietzscheRead
The anarchist and the Christian have a common origin.
Friedrich NietzscheRead
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