15 of the Most Insightful Thoughts from Friedrich Nietzsche

When most people hear the word “philosophy”, they are generally reminded of ancient Greeks like Aristotle or Socrates. Then again, some of the most commonly quoted (and misquoted) philosophy is much more modern. Take, for example, Friedrich Nietzsche. How many times have you heard someone say “hey, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”? That’s Nietzsche.
Nietzsche was a German philosopher, essayist, and cultural critic. His writings on truth, morality, language, aesthetics, cultural theory, history, nihilism, power, consciousness, and the meaning of existence have exerted an enormous influence on Western philosophy and intellectual history. I personally have Nietzsche quotes all over my wall, because I love the perspective he takes on the human existence, and how we see the world through our own eyes. Here are some of my absolute favorites:
“Without music, life would be a mistake.”
“That which does not kill us makes us stronger.”
“I’m not upset that you lied to me, I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you.”
“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.”
“There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.”
“You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.”
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
“You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star.”
“In heaven, all the interesting people are missing.”
“Sometimes people don’t want to hear the truth because they don’t want their illusions destroyed.”
“There are no facts, only interpretations.”
“We should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once.”
“The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.”
“The man of knowledge must be able not only to love his enemies but also to hate his friends.”

“It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages.