But let me open up my heart to you completely, my friends: if there were gods, how could I bear not being a god! Hence, there areno gods. I drew this conclusion, to be sure--but now it draws me.

...throw roses into the abyss and say: 'here is my thanks to the monster who didn't succeed in swallowing me alive.

Little prigs and three-quarter madmen may have the conceit that the laws of nature are constantly broken for their sakes.

Compassion for the friend should conceal itself under a hard shell.

We would not let ourselves be burned to death for our opinions: we are not sure enough of them for that.

Strong currents drag many stones and bushes along with them, strong intellects many dense and muddled minds.

Without myth, however, every culture loses its healthy creative natural power: it is only a horizon encompassed with myth that rounds off to unity a social movement.