The Will to Power

by Nietzsche, Friedrich (1968)

Abstract

Assembled by Nietzsche's sister after his death, The Will to Power is a collection of the philosopher's reflections and theories taken from his unpublished notebooks. Covering topics such as nihilism, Christianity, morality and the famous 'will to power', the book was controversially presented as Nietzsche's all-but-completed magnum opus containing his philosophical system. Including some of his most interesting metaphysical and epistemological thoughts, as well as some of his most disturbing ethical and political comments, the book would prove to have a significant influence on Nietzsche's contentious reception in the twentieth century.

Key Passage

How do men attain great strength and a great task? All the virtues and efficiency of body and soul are acquired laboriously and little by little, through much industry, self-constraint, limitation, through much obstinate, faithful repetition of the same labors, the same renunciations; but there are men who are the heirs and masters of this slowly-acquired manifold treasure of virtue and efficiency—because, through fortunate and reasonable marriages, and also through fortunate accidents, the acquired and stored-up energies of many generations have not been squandered and dispersed but linked together by a firm ring and by will. In the end there appears a man, a monster of energy, who demands a monster of a task. For it is our energy that disposes of us; and the wretched spiritual game of goals and intentions and motives is only a foreground-even though weak eyes may take them for the matter itself.  (p.518)

Keywords

Nietzsche, Philosophy, Nihilism, Virtue, Industriousness

Themes

Nietzsche Citations

Links to Reference

• https://trove.nla.gov.au/version/234125034

Translator

Kaufman, W.; Hollingdale, R. J.

Citation

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