As soon as a religion comes to dominate it has as its opponents all those who would have been its first disciples.

Woman is essentially unpeaceful, like the cat, however well she may have trained herself to present an appearance of peace.

Do not talk about giftedness, inborn talents! One can assume great men of all kinds who were very little gifted. They acquired greatness, became “geniuses” (as we put it), through qualities the lack of which no one who knew what they were would boast of: they all possessed that seriousness of the efficient workman which first learns to construct the parts properly before it ventures to fashion a great whole; they allowed themselves time for it, because they took more pleasure in making the little, secondary things well than in the effect of a dazzling whole.

And if a friend does you wrong, then say: "I forgive you what you have done to me; that you have done it to YOURSELF, however--how could I forgive that!

Whoever writes in blood and aphorisms wants not to be learned but to be learned by heart.

A certain type of person strives to become a master over all, and to extend his force, his will to power, and to subdue all that resists it. But he encounters the power of others, and comes to an arrangement, a union, with those that are like him: thus they work together to serve the will to power. And the process goes on.

Solitude makes us tougher towards ourselves and tenderer towards others. In both ways it improves our character.