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Ecce Homo

Book by Friedrich Nietzsche · 5 quotes · Philosophy, Manners, War

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Ecce Homo Quotes

“A man's imperative command is not only to say "no" in cases where "yes" would be a sign of "disinterestedness," but also to say "no" as seldom as possible. One must part with all that which compels one to repeat "no," with ever greater frequency. The rationale of this principle is that all discharges of defensive forces, however slight they may be, involve enormous and absolutely superfluous losses when they become regular and habitual. Our greatest expenditure of strength is made up of those small and most frequent discharges of it. The act of keeping things off, of holding them at a distance, amounts to a discharge of strength,—do not deceive yourselves on this point!—and an expenditure of energy directed at purely negative ends. Simply by being compelled to keep constantly on his guard, a man may grow so weak as to be unable any longer to defend himself.”

“Ecce homo; si, aquí tenéis al hombre, podéis mirarlo; pero no olvidéis que bajo su humana figura se esconde un dios… Aquí estoy yo, el primer espíritu del siglo, olvidado y despreciado por todos vosotros; soy un desconocido, a pesar de mi grandeza; incluso camino rápidamente hacia la cruz: hacia la demencia, que pronto me arrastrará a sus tinieblas. Mas a pesar de vuestro olvido y vuestro desprecio, «yo soy un destino», soy el heraldo de una nueva época, sobre mí pesa una responsabilidad indecible … Pues yo llevo sobre mis espaldas el destino de la humanidad”