Friedrich Nietzsche, famous for his prescience about the 20th Century, was a deep thinker. And a little nuts. Few were surprised when Freddy had a mental breakdown at age 44 which ended his intellectual life.
I just read Nietzsche's book, "Beyond Good and Evil" (1886). It's mostly a tiresome slog but is leavened by a few personal observations. My favorites are quoted below. You probably recognize the first one whereas the others are more obscure.
- "He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby become a monster. And if thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze into thee."
- "One loves ultimately one’s desires, not the thing desired."
- "The practice of judging and condemning morally, is the favorite revenge of the intellectually shallow on those who are less so."
- "In revenge and in love woman is more barbarous than man."
He really was a jolly old soul, Mr Nietzsche 😉
ReplyDeleteSilliness aside, the term about monsters & the abyss is one that pops up a lot in horror games and whatnot.