And him whom you do not teach to fly, teach I pray you- to fall faster!-
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I love the brave: but it is not enough to be a swordsman,- one must also know whereon to use swordsmanship!
And often is it greater bravery to keep quiet and pass by, that thereby one may reserve oneself for a worthier foe!
You shall only have foes to be hated; but not foes to be despised: you must be proud of your foes. Thus have I already taught.
For the worthier foe, O my brothers, shall you reserve yourselves: therefore must you pass by many a one,-
-Especially many of the rabble, who din your ears with noise about people and peoples.
Keep your eye clear of their For and Against! There is there much right, much wrong: he who looks on becomes wroth.
Therein viewing, therein hewing- they are the same thing: therefore depart into the forests and lay your sword to sleep!
Go your ways! and let the people and peoples go theirs!- gloomy ways, verily, on which not a single hope glints any more!
Let there the trader rule, where all that still glitters is- traders’ gold. It is the time of kings no longer: that which now calls itself the people is unworthy of kings.
See how these peoples themselves now do just like the traders: they pick up the small advantage out of all kinds of rubbish!
They lay lures for one another, they lure things out of one another,-that they call «good neighborliness.» O blessed remote period when a people said to itself: «I will be- master over peoples!»
For, my brothers, the best shall rule, the best also wills to rule! And where the teaching is different, there- the best is lacking.
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If they had- bread for nothing, alas! for what would they cry! Their main-tainment- that is their true entertainment; and they shall have it hard!
Beasts of prey, are they: in their «working»- there is even plundering, in their «earning»- there is even over-reaching! Therefore shall they have it hard!
Better beasts of prey shall they thus become, subtler, cleverer, more man-like: for man is the best beast of prey.
All the animals has man already robbed of their virtues: that is why of all animals it has been hardest for man.
Only the birds are still beyond him. And if man should yet learn to fly, alas! to what height- would his rapacity fly!
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Thus would I have man and woman: fit for war, the one; fit for mater-nity, the other; both, however, fit for dancing with head and legs.
And lost be the day to us in which a measure has not been danced. And false be every truth which has not had laughter along with it!
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Your marriage-arranging: see that it be not a bad arranging! You have ar-ranged too hastily: so there follows therefrom- marriage-breaking!
And better marriage-breaking than marriage-bending, marriage-ly-ing!- Thus spoke a woman to me: «Indeed, I broke the marriage, but first did the marriage break- me!
The badly paired found I ever the most revengeful: they make every one suffer for it that they no longer run singly.
On that account want I the honest ones to say to one another: «We love each other: let us see to it that we maintain our love! Or shall our pledging be blundering?»
-«Give us a set term and a small marriage, that we may see if we are fit for the great marriage! It is a great matter always to be twain.»
Thus do I counsel all honest ones; and what would be my love to the Superman, and to all that is to come, if I should counsel and speak otherwise!
Not only to propagate yourselves onwards but upwards- thereto, O my brothers, may the garden of marriage help you!
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He who has grown wise concerning old origins, lo, he will at last seek after the fountains of the future and new origins.-
O my brothers, not long will it be until new peoples shall arise and new fountains shall rush down into new depths.
For the earthquake- it chokes up many wells, it causes much languish-ing: but it brings also to light inner powers and secrets.
The earthquake discloses new fountains. In the earthquake of old peoples new fountains burst forth.
And whoever calls out: «Lo, here is a well for many thirsty ones, one heart for many longing ones, one will for many instruments»:- around him collects a people, that is to say, many attempting ones.
Who can command, who must obey- that is there attempted! Ah, with what long seeking and solving and failing and learning and re-attempting!
Human society: it is an attempt- so I teach- a long seeking: it seeks however the ruler!-
-An attempt, my brothers! And no «contract»! Destroy, I pray you, des-troy that word of the soft-hearted and half-and-half!
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26.
O my brothers! With whom lies the greatest danger to the whole human future? Is it not with the good and just?-
-As those who say and feel in their hearts: «We already know what is good and just, we possess it also; woe to those who still seek thereafter!
And whatever harm the wicked may do, the harm of the good is the harmfulest harm!
And whatever harm the world-maligners may do, the harm of the good is the harmfulest harm!
O my brothers, into the hearts of the good and just looked some one once on a time, who said: «They are the Pharisees.» But people did not understand him.
The good and just themselves were not free to understand him; their spirit was imprisoned in their good conscience. The stupidity of the good is unfathomably wise.
It is the truth, however, that the good must be Pharisees- they have no choice!
The good must crucify him who creates his own virtue! That is the truth!
The second one, however, who discovered their country- the country, heart and soil of the good and just,- it was he who asked: «Whom do they hate most?»
The creator, hate they most, him who breaks the law-tablets and old values, the breaker,- him they call the law-breaker.
For the good- they cannot create; they are always the beginning of the end:-
-They crucify him who writes new values on new law-tablets, they sac-rifice to themselves the future- they crucify the whole human future!
The good- they have always been the beginning of the end.-
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27.
O my brothers, have you also understood this word? And what I once said of the «last man»?- —
With whom lies the greatest danger to the whole human future? Is it not with the good and just?
Break up, break up, I pray you, the good and just!- O my brothers, have you understood also this word?
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28.
You flee from me? You are frightened? You tremble at this word?
O my brothers, when I enjoined you to break up the good, and the law-tablets of the good, then only did I embark man on his high seas.
And now only comes to him the great terror, the great outlook, the great sickness, the great nausea, the great seasickness.
False shores and false securities did the good teach you; in the lies of the good were you born and bred. Everything has been radically contor-ted and distorted by the good.
But he who discovered the country of «man,» discovered also the coun-try of «man’s future.» Now shall you be sailors for me, brave, patient!
Keep yourselves up betimes, my brothers, learn to keep yourselves up! The sea storms: many seek to raise themselves again by you.
The sea storms: all is in the sea. Well! Cheer up! You old seaman-hearts!
What of fatherland! There strives our helm where our children’s land is! Therewards, stormier than the sea, storms our great longing!-
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«Why so hard!»- said to the diamond one day the charcoal; «are we then not near relatives?»-
Why so soft? O my brothers; thus do I ask you: are you then not- my brothers?
Why so soft, so submissive and yielding? Why is there so much nega-tion and abnegation in your hearts? Why is there so little fate in your looks?
And if you will not be fates and inexorable ones, how can you one day- conquer with me?
And if your hardness will not glance and cut and chip to pieces, how can you one day- create with me?
For the creators are hard. And blessed must it seem to you to press your hand upon millenniums as upon wax,-
-Blessed to write upon the will of millenniums as upon brass,- harder than brass, nobler than brass. Entirely hard is only the noblest.
This new table, O my brothers, put I up over you: Become hard!-
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O you, my Will! you change of every need, my needfulness! Preserve me from all small victories!
You fatedness of my soul, which I call fate! you In-me! Over-me! Pre-serve and spare me for one great fate!
And your last greatness, my Will, spare it for your last- that you may be inexorable in your victory! Ah, who has not perished to his victory!
Ah, whose eye has not bedimmed in this intoxicated twilight! Ah, whose foot has not faltered and forgotten in victory- how to stand!-
-That I may one day be ready and ripe in the great noon-tide: ready and ripe like the glowing ore, the lightning-bearing cloud, and the swelling milk-udder:-
-Ready for myself and for my most hidden Will: a bow eager for its ar-row, an arrow eager for
