--- title: "Thus Spake Zarathustra" author: "Friedrich Nietzsche" translator: "Thomas Common" languages: [en] shelf: "Philosophy" section: 31 of 95 url: https://scriptura.si/works/nietzsche-zarathustra/31/ cite: "Friedrich Nietzsche, tr. Thomas Common, Thus Spake Zarathustra, section 31. Scriptura (scriptura.si), https://scriptura.si/works/nietzsche-zarathustra/31/" --- # Thus Spake Zarathustra *Friedrich Nietzsche, tr. Thomas Common* A prophet comes down from his mountain to teach the overman, in sermons and songs. ## 31. XXVII. The Virtuous Source: https://scriptura.si/works/nietzsche-zarathustra/31/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/nietzsche-zarathustra/31/#p-N [¶0] With thunder and heavenly fireworks must one speak to indolent and somnolent senses. [¶1] But beauty’s voice speaketh gently: it appealeth only to the most awakened souls. [¶2] Gently vibrated and laughed unto me to-day my buckler; it was beauty’s holy laughing and thrilling. [¶3] At you, ye virtuous ones, laughed my beauty to-day. And thus came its voice unto me: “They want—to be paid besides!” [¶4] Ye want to be paid besides, ye virtuous ones! Ye want reward for virtue, and heaven for earth, and eternity for your to-day? [¶5] And now ye upbraid me for teaching that there is no reward-giver, nor paymaster? And verily, I do not even teach that virtue is its own reward. [¶6] Ah! this is my sorrow: into the basis of things have reward and punishment been insinuated—and now even into the basis of your souls, ye virtuous ones! [¶7] But like the snout of the boar shall my word grub up the basis of your souls; a ploughshare will I be called by you. [¶8] All the secrets of your heart shall be brought to light; and when ye lie in the sun, grubbed up and broken, then will also your falsehood be separated from your truth. [¶9] For this is your truth: ye are TOO PURE for the filth of the words: vengeance, punishment, recompense, retribution. [¶10] Ye love your virtue as a mother loveth her child; but when did one hear of a mother wanting to be paid for her love? [¶11] It is your dearest Self, your virtue. The ring’s thirst is in you: to reach itself again struggleth every ring, and turneth itself. [¶12] And like the star that goeth out, so is every work of your virtue: ever is its light on its way and travelling—and when will it cease to be on its way? [¶13] Thus is the light of your virtue still on its way, even when its work is done. Be it forgotten and dead, still its ray of light liveth and travelleth. [¶14] That your virtue is your Self, and not an outward thing, a skin, or a cloak: that is the truth from the basis of your souls, ye virtuous ones!— [¶15] But sure enough there are those to whom virtue meaneth writhing under the lash: and ye have hearkened too much unto their crying! [¶16] And others are there who call virtue the slothfulness of their vices; and when once their hatred and jealousy relax the limbs, their “justice” becometh lively and rubbeth its sleepy eyes. [¶17] And others are there who are drawn downwards: their devils draw them. But the more they sink, the more ardently gloweth their eye, and the longing for their God. [¶18] Ah! their crying also hath reached your ears, ye virtuous ones: “What I am NOT, that, that is God to me, and virtue!” [¶19] And others are there who go along heavily and creakingly, like carts taking stones downhill: they talk much of dignity and virtue—their drag they call virtue! [¶20] And others are there who are like eight-day clocks when wound up; they tick, and want people to call ticking—virtue. [¶21] Verily, in those have I mine amusement: wherever I find such clocks I shall wind them up with my mockery, and they shall even whirr thereby! [¶22] And others are proud of their modicum of righteousness, and for the sake of it do violence to all things: so that the world is drowned in their unrighteousness. [¶23] Ah! how ineptly cometh the word “virtue” out of their mouth! And when they say: “I am just,” it always soundeth like: “I am just—revenged!” [¶24] With their virtues they want to scratch out the eyes of their enemies; and they elevate themselves only that they may lower others. [¶25] And again there are those who sit in their swamp, and speak thus from among the bulrushes: “Virtue—that is to sit quietly in the swamp. [¶26] We bite no one, and go out of the way of him who would bite; and in all matters we have the opinion that is given us.” [¶27] And again there are those who love attitudes, and think that virtue is a sort of attitude. [¶28] Their knees continually adore, and their hands are eulogies of virtue, but their heart knoweth naught thereof. [¶29] And again there are those who regard it as virtue to say: “Virtue is necessary”; but after all they believe only that policemen are necessary. [¶30] And many a one who cannot see men’s loftiness, calleth it virtue to see their baseness far too well: thus calleth he his evil eye virtue.— [¶31] And some want to be edified and raised up, and call it virtue: and others want to be cast down,—and likewise call it virtue. [¶32] And thus do almost all think that they participate in virtue; and at least every one claimeth to be an authority on “good” and “evil.” [¶33] But Zarathustra came not to say unto all those liars and fools: “What do YE know of virtue! What COULD ye know of virtue!”— [¶34] But that ye, my friends, might become weary of the old words which ye have learned from the fools and liars: [¶35] That ye might become weary of the words “reward,” “retribution,” “punishment,” “righteous vengeance.”— [¶36] That ye might become weary of saying: “That an action is good is because it is unselfish.” [¶37] Ah! my friends! That YOUR very Self be in your action, as the mother is in the child: let that be YOUR formula of virtue! [¶38] Verily, I have taken from you a hundred formulae and your virtue’s favourite playthings; and now ye upbraid me, as children upbraid. [¶39] They played by the sea—then came there a wave and swept their playthings into the deep: and now do they cry. [¶40] But the same wave shall bring them new playthings, and spread before them new speckled shells! [¶41] Thus will they be comforted; and like them shall ye also, my friends, have your comforting—and new speckled shells!— [¶42] Thus spake Zarathustra.