85 Thought-Provoking Quotes by Friedrich Nietzsche

By Maxime Lagacé

Maxime is the founder of WisdomQuotes. He has been collecting quotes since 2004. His goal? To help you develop a calm and peaceful mind. Learn more about him on his about page.

Best QuotesHardshipThinkingBecoming GreatLife – Takeaways

friedrich nietzsche quotes wisdom
Friedrich Nietzsche is one of the most influential philosophers of the 19th century.

That’s why I decided to collect 85 thought-provoking quotes by Nietzsche.

I was intrigued by his powerful writing style:

That which does not kill us makes us stronger.

God is dead!

The more I studied him, the more I found him fascinating.

But who was Nietzsche?

  • A German philosopher, poet, critic, and philologist (1844-1900)
  • He influenced philosophers like Sartre, Jung, and Camus
  • He had controversial ideas about society, religion, individualism, and morality

What will you learn from Nietzsche?

  • The importance of embracing change
  • The importance of challenging authority
  • The importance of being true to yourself

So, are you ready to think, learn, and transform your life?

Enjoy the best Friedrich Nietzsche quotes.

The Best Friedrich Nietzsche Quotes

friedrich nietzsche quotes which kill makes stronger wisdom

That which does not kill us makes us stronger. Friedrich Nietzsche

Become who you are. Friedrich Nietzsche

God is dead! God remains dead! And we have killed him! Friedrich Nietzsche

You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star. Friedrich Nietzsche

I’m not upset that you lied to me, I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you. Friedrich Nietzsche

You must be ready to burn yourself in your own flame; how could you rise anew if you have not first become ashes? Friedrich Nietzsche

The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently. Friedrich Nietzsche

I need solitude, which is to say, recovery, return to my self, the breath of a free, light, playful air. Friedrich Nietzsche

friedrich nietzsche quotes who has why live bear almost any how wisdom

He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how. Friedrich Nietzsche

We should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once. Friedrich Nietzsche

The growth of wisdom may be gauged exactly by the diminution of ill-temper. Friedrich Nietzsche

In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play. Friedrich Nietzsche

Faith: not wanting to know what the truth is. Friedrich Nietzsche

Without music, life would be a mistake. Friedrich Nietzsche

Art is the great stimulus to life. Friedrich Nietzsche

The doer alone learneth. Friedrich Nietzsche

Enjoy life. This is not a dress rehearsal. Friedrich Nietzsche

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Friedrich Nietzsche Quotes About Hardship

friedrich nietzsche quotes mountains truth climb vain wisdom

In the mountains of truth, you never climb in vain. Friedrich Nietzsche

To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering. Friedrich Nietzsche

When we are tired, we are attacked by ideas we conquered long ago. Friedrich Nietzsche

He who climbs upon the highest mountains laughs at all tragedies, real or imaginary. Friedrich Nietzsche

On the mountains of truth you can never climb in vain: either you will reach a point higher up today, or you will be training your powers so that you will be able to climb higher tomorrow. Friedrich Nietzsche

Only great pain is the ultimate liberator of the spirit… I doubt that such pain makes us ‘better’; but I know that it makes us more profound. Friedrich Nietzsche

The value of a thing sometimes lies not in what one attains with it, but in what one pays for it – what it costs us. Friedrich Nietzsche

friedrich nietzsche quotes know life purpose perish attempting impossible wisdom

I know of no better life purpose than to perish in attempting the great and the impossible. Friedrich Nietzsche

One thing a man must have: either a naturally light disposition or a disposition lightened by art and knowledge. Friedrich Nietzsche

Perhaps I know best why it is man alone who laughs; he alone suffers so deeply that he had to invent laughter. Friedrich Nietzsche

Strong hope is a much greater stimulant of life than any single realized joy could be. Friedrich Nietzsche

Amor Fati – “Love Your Fate”, which is in fact your life. Friedrich Nietzsche

The strongest have their moments of fatigue. Friedrich Nietzsche

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Friedrich Nietzsche Quotes About Thinking For Yourself

friedrich nietzsche quotes great intellects skeptical wisdom

Great intellects are skeptical. Friedrich Nietzsche

A matter that becomes clear ceases to concern us. Friedrich Nietzsche

All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking. Friedrich Nietzsche

One repays a teacher badly if one always remains nothing but a pupil. Friedrich Nietzsche

Forgetting our intentions is the most frequent of all acts of stupidity. Friedrich Nietzsche

Every deep thinker is more afraid of being understood than of being misunderstood. Friedrich Nietzsche

Belief in the truth commences with the doubting of all those “truths” we once believed. Friedrich Nietzsche

The snake which cannot cast its skin has to die. As well the minds which are prevented from changing their opinions; they cease to be mind. Friedrich Nietzsche

friedrich nietzsche quotes price too high privilege owning yourself wisdom

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. Friedrich Nietzsche

We do not belong to those who only get their thought from books, or at the prompting of books, – it is our custom to think in the open air, walking, leaping, climbing, or dancing on lonesome mountains by preference, or close to the sea, where even the paths become thoughtful. Friedrich Nietzsche

The man of knowledge must be able not only to love his enemies but also to hate his friends. Friedrich Nietzsche

All things are subject to interpretation. Whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power and not truth. Friedrich Nietzsche

One ought to hold on to one’s heart; for if one lets it go, one soon loses control of the head too. Friedrich Nietzsche

In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. Friedrich Nietzsche

Thoughts are the shadows of our feelings – always darker, emptier and simpler. Friedrich Nietzsche

What does your conscience say? — ‘You should become the person you are’. Friedrich Nietzsche

There are no facts, only interpretations. Friedrich Nietzsche

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Friedrich Nietzsche Quotes On Becoming Your Best Version

friedrich nietzsche quotes who cannot obey himself commanded wisdom

He who cannot obey himself will be commanded. Friedrich Nietzsche

Love your enemies because they bring out the best in you. Friedrich Nietzsche

That which is done out of love is always beyond good and evil. Friedrich Nietzsche

Be careful, lest in casting out your demon you exorcise the best thing in you. Friedrich Nietzsche

A good writer possesses not only his own spirit but also the spirit of his friends. Friedrich Nietzsche

Man is something that shall be overcome. Man is a rope, tied between beast and overman — a rope over an abyss. What is great in man is that he is a bridge and not an end. Friedrich Nietzsche

People are always angry at anyone who chooses very individual standards for his life; because of the extraordinary treatment which that man grants to himself, they feel degraded, like ordinary beings. Friedrich Nietzsche

My formula for greatness in a human being is amor fati: that one wants nothing to be different, not forward, not backward, not in all eternity. Not merely bear what is necessary, still less conceal it — all idealism is mendacity in the face of what is necessary — but love it. Friedrich Nietzsche

friedrich nietzsche quotes awake remain wisdom

And once you are awake, you shall remain awake eternally. Friedrich Nietzsche

Original minds are not distinguished by being the first to see a new thing, but instead by seeing the old, familiar thing that is over-looked as something new. Friedrich Nietzsche

I was in darkness, but I took three steps and found myself in paradise. The first step was a good thought, the second, a good word; and the third, a good deed. Friedrich Nietzsche

I am a forest, and a night of dark trees: but he who is not afraid of my darkness, will find banks full of roses under my cypresses. Friedrich Nietzsche

It is my ambition to say in ten sentences what others say in a whole book. Friedrich Nietzsche

The author must keep his mouth shut when his work starts to speak. Friedrich Nietzsche

Live dangerously. Friedrich Nietzsche

Deep Life Quotes By Friedrich Nietzsche

friedrich nietzsche quotes art proper task life wisdom

Art is the proper task of life. Friedrich Nietzsche

Man is the cruelest animal. Friedrich Nietzsche

The true man wants two things: danger and play. Friedrich Nietzsche

Morality is the herd-instinct in the individual. Friedrich Nietzsche

In heaven, all the interesting people are missing. Friedrich Nietzsche

There is an old illusion. It is called good and evil. Friedrich Nietzsche

The future influences the present just as much as the past. Friedrich Nietzsche

Never to talk about oneself is a very refined form of hypocrisy. Friedrich Nietzsche

One must be a sea, to receive a polluted stream without becoming impure. Friedrich Nietzsche

You know a moment is important when it is making your mind go numb with beauty. Friedrich Nietzsche

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music. Friedrich Nietzsche

friedrich nietzsche quotes happiness feeling power increases overcome wisdom

Happiness is the feeling that power increases — that resistance is being overcome. Friedrich Nietzsche

There are two different types of people in the world, those who want to know, and those who want to believe. Friedrich Nietzsche

You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist. Friedrich Nietzsche

The secret for harvesting from existence the greatest fruitfulness and the greatest enjoyment is: to live dangerously! Friedrich Nietzsche

There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness. Friedrich Nietzsche

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

Is man merely a mistake of God’s? Or God merely a mistake of man? Friedrich Nietzsche

There are no beautiful surfaces without a terrible depth. Friedrich Nietzsche

The visionary lies to himself, the liar only to others. Friedrich Nietzsche

We have art in order not to die of the truth. Friedrich Nietzsche

And all in all and on the whole: some day I wish to be only a Yes-sayer. Friedrich Nietzsche

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Key Takeaways From Friedrich Nietzsche’s Quotes

What can you learn from Nietzsche’s quotes?

How to apply them to your life?

Here are the top 5 takeaways.

  • Think for yourself: Nietzsche believed you should not follow the crowd blindly. He believed society should not dictate how to live your life. So take 10 minutes each day to think, meditate, journal, and learn about yourself.
  • Become your best version: Nietzsche believed in Übermensch, or the ideal superior man of the future. By setting the goal of becoming your best self, you’ll feel immense satisfaction and power.
  • Take responsibility: Nietzsche believed you should take responsibility for how you feel and your happiness. By not blaming external sources, you’ll take control of your life and find purpose. You’ll find what you’re truly made of. Don’t be a victim. Be a leader.
  • Embrace your dark side: Nietzsche believed in the importance of following your passions, desires, and your natural inclinations. But make sure you stay within the law and that you preserve your integrity. As Jordan Peterson says, “You should be a monster, an absolute monster, and then you should learn how to control it.⁣”
  • Embrace suffering: Nietzsche believed suffering was useful for personal growth, self-understanding, and becoming more resilient. By accepting suffering as a part of life, you’ll feel calmer and more capable. You’ll become an Übermensch (superman).

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Author Bio

maxime lagace

Maxime Lagacé started collecting quotes in 2004 after he lost his girlfriend in a car accident.

In search of meaning, he dived in the self-improvement world, psychology and trail running.

Books, blogs, quotes and nature became his guide.

He started journaling, reflecting, writing his thoughts, feelings and quotes.

His goal was to understand his pain, his depression, his fears, his lack of motivation and inspiration.

He finished his software engineering degree in 2007 at the École de Technologie Supérieure de Montréal.

A few years later, he started his first website to share his love of quotes.

Maxime is a father of two, husband, and INFJ.

Other notable interests of Maxime are health (mental and physical), meditation, bananas, SEO, human potential, and education.

You can find him on X, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube.

Last update

January 24, 2023

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