The hammer that he uses to philosophize
Just lightly taps our blind beliefs like empty bells —
Such as that life-denier Socrates was wise
Or that Jesus was the son of god, whose death tells
Us how to live on earth. The birth of what he treasures
Is firmly found in his refusal to conform
To idols he uncovers or to myths he measures.
Against these he arrays his thoughts where battles form
Between cold morals and the natural aims of life.
He knows that one who fully lives puts will in action,
But one who lacks such strength sets up an endless strife
By ever seeking from outside for satisfaction.
(cf. Twilight of the Idols, Foreword; "Maxims and Arrows", §2, §18; "The Problem of Socrates"; "Morality as Anti-Nature")
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Peter Saint-Andre > Writings > Nietzsche > Songs of Zarathustra