Saturday, August 4, 2007

Nietzsche


While quoting Harperlee from his book To kill a mockingbird in my previous article i jus thot i had to write about my favourite oneliner - Neitzsche( a german philosopher) . I first came across Neitzsche ( pronounce it like neatshay) when i was talking to one, Udaykumar in JNU, delhi. He talked about him very passionately and insisted i read him. And then i came across him while reading aynrand's preface to fountainhead. That was reason enuf for me to begin a long journey trying to read or atleast attempt to read all his work and in the process read all such books that help in understanding his work..... Then i finally decided i should learn german and then read his work....... Here are some of the quotes that reflect his poignancy , the beauty of his lines and the depth of their meaning:


It is some basic certainty which the noble soul has about itself, something which does not allow itself to be sought out or found or perhaps even to be lost. The noble soul has reverence for itself. "the noble soul has reverence for itself"- thats my fav and Ayn rand's too, i believe.


If you have hitherto believed that life was one of the highest value and now see yourselves disappointed, do you at once have to reduce it to the lowest possible price? - his way of saying, "cheer up buddy"


The worst readers are those who behave like plundering troops: they take away a few things they can use, dirty and confound the remainder, and revile the whole. - i know thats something that makes a mockery of this whole business of quoting ppl but look at how beautifully and effectively put together are those words.


Morality is herd instinct in the individual. - aw can it be sharper....!


We are always in our own company. - so obvious and so revealing..


What is the seal of liberation? — No longer being ashamed in front of oneself. - Congraulations! You jus found the key to liberation.


We want to be poets of our life — first of all in the smallest most everyday matters. I once wrote..... i wanted my life to be a painting every second of it , painted with my hands to my own wish.... ( and that was before i knew of him) how resonating..!


Whatever has value in our world now does not have value in itself, according to its nature — nature is always value-less, but has been given value at some time, as a present — and it was we who gave and bestowed it. - do i see someones heart melting for that....


One seeks a midwife for his thoughts, another someone to whom he can be a midwife: thus originates a good conversation. - slurp...ummmm


What is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil. - That was like lightning striking, was'nt it.


Madness is the exception in individuals but the rule in groups. - haha... truth unplugged


What is it: is man only a blunder of God, or God only a blunder of man? -h. mmmmm ... have u thot abt it ?


What does not destroy me, makes me stronger. - i remeber Vivekanada saying, " reject as poison anything that weakens u"


It is my ambition to say in ten sentences what everyone else says in a whole book — what everyone else does not say in a whole book. - i believe i have achieved it...!


The doctrine of equality! … But there is no more venomous poison in existence: for it appears to be preached by justice itself, when it is actually the end of justice … ‘Equality to the equal; inequality to the unequal’ – that would be true justice speaking: and its corollary, ‘never make the unequal equal’. - Aynrand would have loved that.


We have already gone beyond whatever we have words for. In all talk there is a grain of contempt. - thats y silence is golden..huh?


"that for which we find words is something already dead in our hearts".. do u stilll like talking...?


What is good? All that heightens the feeling of power in man, the will to power, power itself. What is bad? All that is born of weakness. What is happiness? The feeling that power is growing, that resistance is overcome. - that was the Good , bad and Happiness for u.


Love is a state in which a man sees things most decidedly as they are not. Only if the young knew....


God created woman. And boredom did indeed cease from that moment — but many other things ceased as well! Woman was God's second mistake. - Hey man don't start laughing ur heart out... he has not told u wat was the fst....


'Faith' means not wanting to know what is true. okay that could fall harsh on many ears...


No price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. And thats exactly the price the world demands, doesn't it....and add to it One is best punished for ones virtues.

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