Self-Surpassing

“Will to Truth” do ye call it, ye wisest ones, that which impelleth you and maketh you ardent?

“Will to Truth”: Is that what you call what drives you and fills you with passion, you wisest ones?

Will for the thinkableness of all being: thus do I call your will!

The will to make all existence thinkable: that is what I call your will!

All being would ye MAKE thinkable: for ye doubt with good reason whether it be already thinkable.

You want to MAKE all being thinkable, because you have good reason to doubt that it already is.

But it shall accommodate and bend itself to you! So willeth your will. Smooth shall it become and subject to the spirit, as its mirror and reflection.

But it must adapt and bend to you! That is what your will desires. It must become smooth and submit to the spirit, serving as its mirror and reflection.

That is your entire will, ye wisest ones, as a Will to Power; and even when ye speak of good and evil, and of estimates of value.

That is your entire will, you wisest people: a Will to Power. It is so even when you speak of good and evil and judgments of value.

Ye would still create a world before which ye can bow the knee: such is your ultimate hope and ecstasy.

You still want to create a world you can kneel before. That is your ultimate hope and ecstasy.

The ignorant, to be sure, the people—they are like a river on which a boat floateth along: and in the boat sit the estimates of value, solemn and disguised.

The ignorant people, to be sure, are like a river with a boat floating on it. In the boat sit judgments of value, solemn and disguised.

Your will and your valuations have ye put on the river of becoming; it betrayeth unto me an old Will to Power, what is believed by the people as good and evil.

You have placed your will and your values on the river of becoming. What people believe to be good and evil reveals to me an old Will to Power.

It was ye, ye wisest ones, who put such guests in this boat, and gave them pomp and proud names—ye and your ruling Will!

You, the wisest ones, put such guests in this boat and gave them splendor and proud names. You and your ruling Will!

Onward the river now carrieth your boat: it MUST carry it. A small matter if the rough wave foameth and angrily resisteth its keel!

The river now carries your boat onward. It MUST carry your boat. It hardly matters if the rough wave foams and angrily pushes against the keel!

It is not the river that is your danger and the end of your good and evil, ye wisest ones: but that Will itself, the Will to Power—the unexhausted, procreating life-will.

Wisest ones, it is not the river that threatens you and brings your good and evil to an end. It is the Will itself, the Will to Power, the inexhaustible life-will that creates new life.

But that ye may understand my gospel of good and evil, for that purpose will I tell you my gospel of life, and of the nature of all living things.

But so that you may understand my gospel of good and evil, I will tell you my gospel of life and the nature of all living things.

The living thing did I follow; I walked in the broadest and narrowest paths to learn its nature.

I followed the living thing. I walked the widest and narrowest paths to learn its nature.

With a hundred-faced mirror did I catch its glance when its mouth was shut, so that its eye might speak unto me. And its eye spake unto me.

I caught its glance in a hundred-faced mirror while its mouth was shut, so its eye could speak to me. And its eye spoke to me.

But wherever I found living things, there heard I also the language of obedience. All living things are obeying things.

But wherever I found living things, I also heard the language of obedience. All living things obey.

And this heard I secondly: Whatever cannot obey itself, is commanded. Such is the nature of living things.

And the second thing I heard was this: Whatever cannot obey itself is commanded by others. That is the nature of living things.

This, however, is the third thing which I heard—namely, that commanding is more difficult than obeying. And not only because the commander beareth the burden of all obeyers, and because this burden readily crusheth him:—

But this is the third thing I heard: commanding is harder than obeying. And not only because the commander carries the burden of all who obey, and because that burden can easily crush him:

An attempt and a risk seemed all commanding unto me; and whenever it commandeth, the living thing risketh itself thereby.

Every act of commanding seemed to me an attempt and a risk. And whenever a living thing commands, it risks itself.

Yea, even when it commandeth itself, then also must it atone for its commanding. Of its own law must it become the judge and avenger and victim.

Yes, even when it commands itself, it must pay for giving that command. It must become the judge, avenger, and victim of its own law.

How doth this happen! so did I ask myself. What persuadeth the living thing to obey, and command, and even be obedient in commanding?

How does this happen? I asked myself. What persuades a living thing to obey, to command, and even to obey while commanding?

Hearken now unto my word, ye wisest ones! Test it seriously, whether I have crept into the heart of life itself, and into the roots of its heart!

Listen now to my words, you wisest ones! Consider them seriously. Have I crept into the heart of life itself, and into the roots of its heart?

Wherever I found a living thing, there found I Will to Power; and even in the will of the servant found I the will to be master.

Wherever I found a living thing, I found the Will to Power. Even in the servant's will, I found the will to be master.

That to the stronger the weaker shall serve—thereto persuadeth he his will who would be master over a still weaker one. That delight alone he is unwilling to forego.

Anyone who wants to master someone weaker convinces himself that the weaker should serve the stronger. That is the one pleasure he refuses to give up.

And as the lesser surrendereth himself to the greater that he may have delight and power over the least of all, so doth even the greatest surrender himself, and staketh—life, for the sake of power.

Just as the lesser gives himself up to the greater for pleasure and power over the least of all, so even the greatest gives himself up and risks his life for the sake of power.

It is the surrender of the greatest to run risk and danger, and play dice for death.

The greatest give themselves over to risk and danger, and roll dice for death.

And where there is sacrifice and service and love-glances, there also is the will to be master. By by-ways doth the weaker then slink into the fortress, and into the heart of the mightier one—and there stealeth power.

And wherever there is sacrifice, service, and loving glances, there is also the will to be master. The weaker one then slips in by hidden paths, into the fortress and the heart of the stronger one. And there the weaker one steals power.

And this secret spake Life herself unto me. “Behold,” said she, “I am that WHICH MUST EVER SURPASS ITSELF.

And Life herself told me this secret. “Look,” she said, “I am what MUST ALWAYS SURPASS ITSELF.

To be sure, ye call it will to procreation, or impulse towards a goal, towards the higher, remoter, more manifold: but all that is one and the same secret.

Of course, you call it the will to reproduce, or the drive toward a goal, toward what is higher, more distant, more diverse. But all of that is one and the same secret.

Rather would I succumb than disown this one thing; and verily, where there is succumbing and leaf-falling, lo, there doth Life sacrifice itself—for power!

I would rather perish than deny this one thing. And truly, wherever things perish and leaves fall, Life sacrifices itself for power!

That I have to be struggle, and becoming, and purpose, and cross-purpose—ah, he who divineth my will, divineth well also on what CROOKED paths it hath to tread!

I must be struggle, becoming, purpose, and conflicting purpose. Ah, whoever understands my will also knows well the CROOKED paths it must take!

Whatever I create, and however much I love it,—soon must I be adverse to it, and to my love: so willeth my will.

Whatever I create, and however much I love it, I must soon turn against it and my love for it. That is what my will demands.

And even thou, discerning one, art only a path and footstep of my will: verily, my Will to Power walketh even on the feet of thy Will to Truth!

And even you, perceptive one, are only a path and a footstep of my will. Truly, my Will to Power walks even on the feet of your Will to Truth!

He certainly did not hit the truth who shot at it the formula: ‘Will to existence’: that will—doth not exist!

Whoever aimed the phrase ‘Will to existence’ at the truth certainly missed. That will does not exist!

For what is not, cannot will; that, however, which is in existence—how could it still strive for existence!

For what does not exist cannot will. But how could what already exists still strive to exist!

Only where there is life, is there also will: not, however, Will to Life, but—so teach I thee—Will to Power!

Only where there is life is there also will. But it is not the Will to Life. I teach you that it is the Will to Power!

Much is reckoned higher than life itself by the living one; but out of the very reckoning speaketh—the Will to Power!”—

The living value many things more than life itself. But in that very judgment, the Will to Power speaks!”

Thus did Life once teach me: and thereby, ye wisest ones, do I solve you the riddle of your hearts.

This is what Life once taught me. And with this, you wisest ones, I solve the riddle of your hearts.

Verily, I say unto you: good and evil which would be everlasting—it doth not exist! Of its own accord must it ever surpass itself anew.

Truly, I tell you: everlasting good and evil do not exist! Good and evil must keep surpassing themselves of their own accord.

With your values and formulae of good and evil, ye exercise power, ye valuing ones: and that is your secret love, and the sparkling, trembling, and overflowing of your souls.

You who judge good and evil exercise power through your values and formulas. That power is your secret love, and the sparkling, trembling, and overflowing of your souls.

But a stronger power groweth out of your values, and a new surpassing: by it breaketh egg and egg-shell.

But a stronger power and a new overcoming grow out of your values. Through this power, both egg and shell break.

And he who hath to be a creator in good and evil—verily, he hath first to be a destroyer, and break values in pieces.

And anyone who must create good and evil must first destroy and break values into pieces.

Thus doth the greatest evil pertain to the greatest good: that, however, is the creating good.—

Thus the greatest evil belongs to the greatest good. But the greatest good is the good that creates.

Let us SPEAK thereof, ye wisest ones, even though it be bad. To be silent is worse; all suppressed truths become poisonous.

Let us SPEAK of it, you wisest ones, even though it is bad. Staying silent is worse. All suppressed truths become poisonous.

And let everything break up which—can break up by our truths! Many a house is still to be built!—

And let everything our truths can break apart fall apart! Many houses remain to be built!

Thus spake Zarathustra.

This is what Zarathustra said.