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In belief in what? In love with what? In hope for…

“In belief in what? In love with what? In hope for what?—There’s no doubt that these weak people—at some time or another they also want to be the strong people, some day their "kingdom" is to arrive—they call it simply "the kingdom of God" as I mentioned. People are indeed so humble about…” quote by Friedrich Nietzsche
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““In belief in what? In love with what? In hope for what?—There’s no doubt that these weak people—at some time or another they also want to be the strong people, some day their "kingdom" is to arrive—they call it simply "the kingdom of God" as I mentioned. People are indeed so humble about everything! Only to experience that, one has to live a long time, beyond death—in fact, people must have an eternal life, so they can also win eternal recompense in the "kingdom of God" for that earthly life "in faith, in love, in hope." Recompense for what? Recompense through what? In my view, Dante was grossly in error when, with an ingenuity inspiring terror, he set that inscription over the gateway into his hell:"Eternal love also created me." Over the gateway into the Christian paradise and its "eternal blessedness" it would, in any event, be more fitting to let the inscription stand "Eternal hate also created me"—provided it’s all right to set a truth over the gateway to a lie! For what is the bliss of that paradise? Perhaps we might have guessed that already, but it is better for it to be expressly described for us by an authority we cannot underestimate in such matters, Thomas Aquinas, the great teacher and saint: "In the kingdom of heaven" he says as gently as a lamb, "the blessed will see the punishment of the damned, so that they will derive all the more pleasure from their heavenly bliss.””

Friedrich Nietzsche

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Nietzsche critiques the idea that eternal reward justifies suffering, arguing that divine promises can mask harsh truths and create false hope.

In simple terms: Questioning religious promises that hide suffering.

Key Takeaway

Question the value of promised afterlife rewards.

Themes

faith hope eternal life religion philosophy

Mood

contemplative skeptical critical

Type

philosophical skeptical

When to use this quote

  • personal reflection
  • spiritual seeking
  • ethical debates
  • literary criticism

Key Concepts

theology existentialism morality

Questions to Reflect On

  • What does true fulfillment look like without relying on afterlife rewards?
  • Can hope exist without fear of punishment?
A Different Perspective

Religious promises may ignore present suffering and moral responsibility.

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