Human All-Too-Human, Part 1


Page 62 of 70



511.

Persons Loyal to Their Convictions.—Whoever is very busy retains his general views and opinions almost unchanged. So also does[Pg 361] every one who labours in the service of an idea; he will nevermore examine the idea itself, he no longer has any time to do so; indeed, it is against his interests to consider it as still admitting of discussion.

512.

Morality and Quantity.—The higher morality of one man as compared with that of another, often lies merely in the fact that his aims are quantitively greater. The other, living in a circumscribed sphere, is dragged down by petty occupations.

513.

"The Life" As the Proceeds of Life.—A man may stretch himself out ever so far with his knowledge; he may seem to himself ever so objective, but eventually he realises nothing therefrom but his own biography.

514.

Iron Necessity.—Iron necessity is a thing which has been found, in the course of history, to be neither iron nor necessary.

515.

From Experience.—The unreasonableness of a thing is no argument against its existence, but rather a condition thereof.

516.

Truth.—Nobody dies nowadays of fatal truths, there are too many antidotes to them.

[Pg 362]

517.

A Fundamental Insight.—There is no pre-established harmony between the promotion of truth and the welfare of mankind.

518.

Man's Lot.—He who thinks most deeply knows that he is always in the wrong, however he may act and decide.

519.

Truth As Circe.—Error has made animals into men; is truth perhaps capable of making man into an animal again?

520.

The Danger of Our Culture.—We belong to a period of which the culture is in danger of being destroyed by the appliances of culture.

521.

Greatness Means Leading the Way.—No stream is large and copious of itself, but becomes great by receiving and leading on so many tributary streams. It is so, also, with all intellectual greatnesses. It is only a question of some one indicating the direction to be followed by so many affluents; not whether he was richly or poorly gifted originally.

[Pg 363]

522.

A Feeble Conscience.—People who talk about their importance to mankind have a feeble conscience for common bourgeois rectitude, keeping of contracts, promises, etc.

523.

Desiring to Be Loved.—The demand to be loved is the greatest of presumptions.

524.

Contempt For Men.—The most unequivocal sign of contempt for man is to regard everybody merely as a means to one's own ends, or of no account whatever.

525.

Partisans Through Contradiction.—Whoever has driven men to fury against himself has also gained a party in his favour.

526.

Forgetting Experiences.—Whoever thinks much and to good purpose easily forgets his own experiences, but not the thoughts which these experiences have called forth.

527.

Sticking to an Opinion.—One person sticks to an opinion because he takes pride in having acquired it himself,—another sticks to it because he has learnt it with difficulty and is[Pg 364] proud of having understood it; both of them, therefore, out of vanity.

528.

Avoiding the Light.—Good deeds avoid the light just as anxiously as evil deeds; the latter fear that pain will result from publicity (as punishment), the former fear that pleasure will vanish with publicity (the pure pleasure per se, which ceases as soon as satisfaction of vanity is added to it).

529.

The Length of the Day.—When one has much to put into them, a day has a hundred pockets.

530.

The Genius of Tyranny.—When an invincible desire to obtain tyrannical power has been awakened in the soul, and constantly keeps up its fervour, even a very mediocre talent (in politicians, artists, etc.) gradually becomes an almost irresistible natural force.

531.

The Enemy's Life.—He who lives by fighting with an enemy has an interest in the preservation of the enemy's life.[1]

[Pg 365]

532.

More Important.—Unexplained, obscure matters are regarded as more important than explained, clear ones.

533.

Valuation of Services Rendered.—We estimate services rendered to us according to the value set on them by those who render them, not according to the value they have for us.

534.

Unhappiness.—The distinction associated with unhappiness (as if it were a sign of stupidity, unambitiousness, or commonplaceness to feel happy) is so great that when any one says to us, "How happy you are!" we usually protest.

535.

Imagination in Anguish.—When one is afraid of anything, one's imagination plays the part of that evil spirit which springs on one's back just when one has the heaviest load to bear.

536.

The Value of Insipid Opponents.—We sometimes remain faithful to a cause merely because its opponents never cease to be insipid.

537.

The Value of a Profession.—A profession makes us thoughtless; that is its greatest blessing.[Pg 366] For it is a bulwark behind which we are permitted to withdraw when commonplace doubts and cares assail us.

538.

Talent.—Many a man's talent appears less than it is, because he has always set himself too heavy tasks.

539.

Youth.—Youth is an unpleasant period; for then it is not possible or not prudent to be productive in any sense whatsoever.

540.

Too Great Aims.—Whoever aims publicly at great things and at length perceives secretly that he is too weak to achieve them, has usually also insufficient strength to renounce his aims publicly, and then inevitably becomes a hypocrite.

541.

In the Current.—Mighty waters sweep many stones and shrubs away with them; mighty spirits many foolish and confused minds.

542.

The Dangers of Intellectual Emancipation.—In a seriously intended intellectual emancipation a person's mute passions and cravings also hope to find their advantage.



Free Learning Resources