--- title: "Thus Spake Zarathustra" author: "Friedrich Nietzsche" translator: "Thomas Common" languages: [en] shelf: "Philosophy" section: 13 of 95 url: https://scriptura.si/works/nietzsche-zarathustra/13/ cite: "Friedrich Nietzsche, tr. Thomas Common, Thus Spake Zarathustra, section 13. Scriptura (scriptura.si), https://scriptura.si/works/nietzsche-zarathustra/13/" --- # Thus Spake Zarathustra *Friedrich Nietzsche, tr. Thomas Common* A prophet comes down from his mountain to teach the overman, in sermons and songs. ## 13. IX. The Preachers of Death Source: https://scriptura.si/works/nietzsche-zarathustra/13/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/nietzsche-zarathustra/13/#p-N [¶0] There are preachers of death: and the earth is full of those to whom desistance from life must be preached. [¶1] Full is the earth of the superfluous; marred is life by the many-too-many. May they be decoyed out of this life by the “life eternal”! [¶2] “The yellow ones”: so are called the preachers of death, or “the black ones.” But I will show them unto you in other colours besides. [¶3] There are the terrible ones who carry about in themselves the beast of prey, and have no choice except lusts or self-laceration. And even their lusts are self-laceration. [¶4] They have not yet become men, those terrible ones: may they preach desistance from life, and pass away themselves! [¶5] There are the spiritually consumptive ones: hardly are they born when they begin to die, and long for doctrines of lassitude and renunciation. [¶6] They would fain be dead, and we should approve of their wish! Let us beware of awakening those dead ones, and of damaging those living coffins! [¶7] They meet an invalid, or an old man, or a corpse—and immediately they say: “Life is refuted!” [¶8] But they only are refuted, and their eye, which seeth only one aspect of existence. [¶9] Shrouded in thick melancholy, and eager for the little casualties that bring death: thus do they wait, and clench their teeth. [¶10] Or else, they grasp at sweetmeats, and mock at their childishness thereby: they cling to their straw of life, and mock at their still clinging to it. [¶11] Their wisdom speaketh thus: “A fool, he who remaineth alive; but so far are we fools! And that is the foolishest thing in life!” [¶12] “Life is only suffering”: so say others, and lie not. Then see to it that YE cease! See to it that the life ceaseth which is only suffering! [¶13] And let this be the teaching of your virtue: “Thou shalt slay thyself! Thou shalt steal away from thyself!”— [¶14] “Lust is sin,”—so say some who preach death—“let us go apart and beget no children!” [¶15] “Giving birth is troublesome,”—say others—“why still give birth? One beareth only the unfortunate!” And they also are preachers of death. [¶16] “Pity is necessary,”—so saith a third party. “Take what I have! Take what I am! So much less doth life bind me!” [¶17] Were they consistently pitiful, then would they make their neighbours sick of life. To be wicked—that would be their true goodness. [¶18] But they want to be rid of life; what care they if they bind others still faster with their chains and gifts!— [¶19] And ye also, to whom life is rough labour and disquiet, are ye not very tired of life? Are ye not very ripe for the sermon of death? [¶20] All ye to whom rough labour is dear, and the rapid, new, and strange—ye put up with yourselves badly; your diligence is flight, and the will to self-forgetfulness. [¶21] If ye believed more in life, then would ye devote yourselves less to the momentary. But for waiting, ye have not enough of capacity in you—nor even for idling! [¶22] Everywhere resoundeth the voices of those who preach death; and the earth is full of those to whom death hath to be preached. [¶23] Or “life eternal”; it is all the same to me—if only they pass away quickly!— [¶24] Thus spake Zarathustra.