Human, All-Too-Human: A Book for Free Spirits, Part 2 — Nietzsche — John Shaqi
Human, All-Too-Human: A Book for Free Spirits, Part 2
Nietzsche · en
REWARD AND PUNISHMENT.—No one accuses without an underlying notion of
punishment and revenge, even when he accuses his fate or himself. All
complaint is accusation, all self-congratulation is praise. Whether we do
one or the other, we always make some one responsible.
79.
DOUBLY UNJUST.—We sometimes advance truth by a twofold injustice: when we
see and represent consecutively the two sides of a case which we are not
in a position to see together, but in such a way that every time we
mistake or deny the other side, fancying that what we see is the whole
truth.
80.
MISTRUST.—Self-mistrust does not always proceed uncertainly and shyly, but
sometimes in a furious rage, having worked itself into a frenzy in order
not to tremble.
81.
PHILOSOPHY OF PARVENUS.—If you want to be a personality you must even hold
your shadow in honour.
82.
KNOWING HOW TO WASH ONESELF CLEAN.—We must know how to emerge cleaner from
unclean conditions, and, if necessary, how to wash ourselves even with
dirty water.
83.
LETTING YOURSELF GO.—The more you let yourself go, the less others let you
go.
84.
THE INNOCENT ROGUE.—There is a slow, gradual path to vice and rascality of
every description. In the end, the traveller is quite abandoned by the
insect-swarms of a bad conscience, and although a thorough scoundrel he
walks in innocence.
85.
MAKING PLANS.—Making plans and conceiving projects involves many agreeable
sentiments. He that had the strength to be nothing but a contriver of
plans all his life would be a happy man. But one must occasionally have a
rest from this activity by carrying a plan into execution, and then comes
anger and sobriety.
86.
WHEREWITH WE SEE THE IDEAL.—Every efficient man is blocked by his
efficiency and cannot look out freely from its prison. Had he not also a
goodly share of imperfection, he could, by reason of his virtue, never
arrive at an intellectual or moral freedom. Our shortcomings are the eyes
with which we see the ideal.
87.
DISHONEST PRAISE.—Dishonest praise causes many more twinges of conscience
than dishonest blame, probably only because we have exposed our capacity
for judgment far more completely through excessive praise than through
excessive and unjust blame.
88.