The ideal of Morality has no more dangerous rival than the ideal of highest Strength, of most powerful life; which also has been named (very falsely as it was there meant) the ideal of poetic greatness. It is the maximum of the savage; and has, in these times, gained, precisely among the greatest weaklings, very many proselytes. By this ideal, man becomes a Beast-Spirit, a Mixture; whose brutal wit has, for weaklings, a brutal power of attraction.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Moral ideals focused on strength can become dangerous and beastly. Weak people are drawn to this false ideal of greatness.
- In plain terms
- Ideals focused on strength can be dangerous and attract the weak.
- What can you take from it?
- Be wary of moral ideals that glorify raw power or strength.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When does strength become dangerous?
- What ideals attract the weak?
Another view
Strength is not inherently dangerous; it depends on how it is guided.
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