You have committed one of the greatest stupidities - for yourself and for me! Your association with an anti-Semitic chief expresses a foreignness to my whole way of life which fills me again and again with ire or melancholy. ... It is a matter of honor with me to be absolutely clean and unequivocal in relation to anti-Semitism, namely, opposed to it, as I am in my writings. I have recently been persecuted with letters and Anti-Semitic Correspondence Sheets. My disgust with this party (which would like the benefit of my name only too well!) is as pronounced as possible, but the relation to Forster, as well as the aftereffects of my former publisher, the anti-Semitic Schmeitzner, always brings the adherents of this disagreeable party back to the idea that I must belong to them after all. ... It arouses mistrust against my character, as if publicly I condemned something which I have favored secretly - and that I am unable to do anything against it, that the name of Zarathustra is used in every Anti-Semitic Correspondence Sheet, has almost made me sick several times.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Nietzsche condemns anti‑Semitic connections and emphasizes his clean stance against them.
- In plain terms
- He insists he is anti‑Semitic and rebukes any association.
- What can you take from it?
- Maintain clear ethical boundaries.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What are effective ways to demonstrate ethical commitments?
- How do we handle past associations?
Another view
His strong language may alienate potential allies.
More from Friedrich Nietzsche
I've seen proof, black on white, that Herr Dr. Forster has not yet severed his connection with the anti-Semitic movement. ... Since then I've had difficulty co…
Permalink to quote #5 I have somehow something like 'influence' ... In the Anti-Semitic Correspondence ... my name is mentioned in almost every issue. Zarathustra ... has charmed th…
Permalink to quote #7 So far no one had had enough courage and intelligence to reveal me to my dear Germans. My problems are new, my psychological horizon frighteningly comprehensiv…
Permalink to quote #4
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