Thus Spoke Zarathustra – Friedrich Nietzsche
When Zarathustra was alone, however, he said to his heart: “Could it be possible! This old saint in the forest hath not yet heard of it, that God is dead!” (p. 3). ch2
But the awakened one, the knowing one, saith: “Body am I entirely, and nothing more; and soul is only the name of something in the body.” (p. 19). IV
Thus spoke the devil to me once: “God too has his hell: that is his love of man.” And most recently I heard him say this: “God is dead; God died of his pity for man.” (p. 90).
Thus they muffled the sound of my steps: and so far I have been heard least well by the most scholarly. Between themselves and me they laid all human faults and weaknesses: "False ceilings" they call them in their houses. And yet I live over their heads with my thoughts; and even if I wanted to walk upon my own mistakes, I would still be over their heads.
For men are not equal: thus speaks justice. And what I want, they would have no right to want! (p. 126).
"Believe me, friend Hellishnoise: the greatest events - they are not our loudest but our stillest hours. Not around the inventors of new noise, but around the inventors of new values does the world revolve; it revolves inaudibly. (p. 131).
Modesty to embrace a small happiness – that they call “resignation” – and modestly they squint the while for another small happiness. At bottom, these simpletons want a single thing most of all: that nobody should hurt them. Thus they try to please and gratify everybody. This, however, is cowardice, even if it be called virtue.
And if they once speak roughly, these small people, I hear only their hoarseness, for every draft makes them hoarse. They are clever, their virtues have clever fingers. But they lack fists, their fingers do not know how to hide behind fists. Virtue to them is that which makes modest and tame: with that they have turned the wolf into a dog and man himself into man’s best domestic animal.
“We have placed our chair in the middle,” your smirking says to me; “and exactly as far from dying fighters as from amused sows.” That, however, is mediocrity, though it be called moderation. (p. 170).
For the old gods, after all, things came to an end long ago; and verily, they had a good gay godlike end. They did not end in a “twilight,” though this lie is told. Instead: one day they laughed themselves to death. That happened when the most godless word issued from one of the gods themselves – the word: “there is one god. Thou shalt have no other god before me!” An old grimbeard of a god, a jealous one, thus forgot himself. And then all the gods laughed and rocked on their chairs and cried, “Is not just this godlike that there are gods but no God?” (p. 182).
Man is hard to discover – hardest of all for himself; often the spirit lies about the soul. Thus the spirit of gravity orders it. He, however, has discovered himself who says, “This is my good and evil”; with that he has reduced to silence the mole and dwarf who say, “Good for all, evil for all.” (p. 194).
A trying and questioning was my every move; and verily, one must also learn to answer such question. That, however, is my taste – not good, not bad, but my taste of which I am no longer ashamed and which I have no wish to hide.
“This is my way; where is yours?” – thus I answered those who asked me “the way.” For the way – that does not exist. (p. 195).
To will liberates, for to will is to create: thus I teach. (p. 206).
And there is such a variety of well-invented things that the earth is like the breasts of a woman: useful as well as pleasing. (p. 207).