--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whoever fights monsters,” Nietzsche had…" description: "\"“Whoever fights monsters,” Nietzsche had said, “should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And when you look long into an abyss..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bc/azar-nafisi-2001_monster_whoever-fights-monsters-nietzsche-had-sa_2373961.png" --- # Whoever fights monsters,” Nietzsche had said, “should see… ![“Whoever fights monsters,” Nietzsche had said, “should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And when you look long into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you.” quote by Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bc/azar-nafisi-2001_monster_whoever-fights-monsters-nietzsche-had-sa_2373961.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bc/azar-nafisi-2001_monster_whoever-fights-monsters-nietzsche-had-sa_2373961.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bc/azar-nafisi-2001_monster_whoever-fights-monsters-nietzsche-had-sa_2373961.png) > ““Whoever fights monsters,” Nietzsche had said, “should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And when you look long into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you.”” [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Warns that confronting evil can corrupt the self, and that deep reflection reveals mutual influence between observer and abyss. **In simple terms:** Beware becoming what you fight. Key Takeaway Stay self-aware when confronting darkness. Themes philosophy ethics self awareness Mood thoughtful introspective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - conflict resolution - personal growth - mental health Key Concepts Nietzschean morality psychology Questions to Reflect On - What inner darkness do you face? - How do you prevent negativity from shaping you? A Different Perspective May be abstract for everyday use. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abyss Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abyss-looks-1634364/) [Fights Monsters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fights-monsters-307238/) [Monster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monster/) [Monsters Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monsters-nietzsche-5856565/) [Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nietzsche/) [Nietzsche Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nietzsche-said-504510/) [Whoever Fights Monsters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whoever-fights-monsters/) ## Related quotes > [“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. 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If you don't enter that world, hold your breath with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/a-novel-is-not-an-allegory-it-is-a-sensual-experience-of-another/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [“I have a recurring fantasy that one more article has been added to the Bill of Rights: the right to free access to imagination.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/i-have-a-recurring-fantasy-that-one-more-article-has-been-added-to/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [“Hope for some means its loss for others; when the hopeless regain some hope, those in power--the ones who had taken it away--become afraid,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/hope-for-some-means-its-loss-for-others-when-the-hopeless-regain-some/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [Imagine you are walking down a leafy path…The sun is receding, and you are walking alone, caressed by the breezy light of the late…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/imagine-you-are-walking-down-a-leafy-path-the-sun-is-receding-and-you/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [If I turned towards books, it was because they were the only sanctuary I knew, one I needed in order to survive, to protect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/if-i-turned-towards-books-it-was-because-they-were-the-only-sanctuary/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [ “Such an act \[testifying for an accused prison guard of the Shah's regime\] can only be accomplished by someone who is engrossed in literature,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/such-an-act-testifying-for-an-accused-prison-guard-of-the-shah-s/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [It is only through literature that one can put oneself in someone else’s shoes and understand the other’s different and contradictory sides and refrain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/it-is-only-through-literature-that-one-can-put-oneself-in-someone/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [“That first day I asked my students what they thought fiction should accomplish, why one should bother to read fiction at all. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/that-first-day-i-asked-my-students-what-they-thought-fiction-should/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [“you cannot just be stubborn against something, you need to be stubborn for something as well”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/you-cannot-just-be-stubborn-against-something-you-need-to-be-stubborn/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [Do not, under any circumstances, belittle a work of fiction by trying to turn it into a carbon copy of real life; what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/do-not-under-any-circumstances-belittle-a-work-of-fiction-by-trying/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [Visa for Avalon is a testament to the power of fiction. It illuminates the truth at the heart of what is commonly called reality.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/visa-for-avalon-is-a-testament-to-the-power-of-fiction-it-illuminates/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [“You ask me what it means to be irrelevant? The feeling is akin to visiting your old house as a wandering ghost with unfinished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/you-ask-me-what-it-means-to-be-irrelevant-the-feeling-is-akin-to/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [“I explained that most great works of the imagination were meant to make you feel like a stranger in your own home. The best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/i-explained-that-most-great-works-of-the-imagination-were-meant-to/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [“We envy people like you, and we want to be you; we can't, so we destroy you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/we-envy-people-like-you-and-we-want-to-be-you-we-can-t-so-we-destroy/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [“..."readers were born free and ought to remain free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/readers-were-born-free-and-ought-to-remain-free/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) [Explore all 182 Azar Nafisi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) ## More Monster quotes > [Our memory is a monster; you forget it - it does not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/our-memory-is-a-monster-you-forget-it-it-does-not/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“Monsters are divine portents.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-davidson/monsters-are-divine-portents/) [Andrew Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-davidson/) > [“Personally, I’m a mess of conflicting impulses—I’m independent and greedy and I also want to belong and share and be a part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-siken/personally-i-m-a-mess-of-conflicting-impulses-i-m-independent-and/) [Richard Siken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-siken/) > [“Monsters are made”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-aveyard/monsters-are-made/) [Victoria Aveyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-aveyard/) > [“..the world seems full of good men--even if there are monsters in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bram-stoker/the-world-seems-full-of-good-men-even-if-there-are-monsters-in-it/) [Bram Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bram-stoker/) > [It's not a monster movie. It's a supernatural thriller.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-wood/it-s-not-a-monster-movie-it-s-a-supernatural-thriller/) [Ed Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-wood/) > [“When you’re a monster, she thought, you are thanked and praised for not behaving like a monster. She would like to restrain from cruelty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/when-you-re-a-monster-she-thought-you-are-thanked-and-praised-for-not/) [Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/) > [In this business, until you're known as a monster you're not a star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/in-this-business-until-you-re-known-as-a-monster-you-re-not-a-star/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [“Some days I’m more girl than monster. Some days I wonder what the monster has done with the girl.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-kory/some-days-i-m-more-girl-than-monster-some-days-i-wonder-what-the/) [Kristin Kory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-kory/) > [I bought these pink sticker things... and I would write things on them, and I wrote, 'I will write an international smash,' and shortly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bebe-rexha/i-bought-these-pink-sticker-things-and-i-would-write-things-on-them/) [Bebe Rexha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bebe-rexha/) > [“ But what is a dream, Conor O'Malley? the monster said, bending down so it's face was close to Conor's. Who is to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/but-what-is-a-dream-conor-o-malley-the-monster-said-bending-down-so/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [The monster London laugh at me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-cowley/the-monster-london-laugh-at-me/) [Abraham Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-cowley/) > [“Stomach full of jitters, little beasts that were second cousins to guacamolians—little green monsters that wreaked havoc in your stomach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kely-mcclung/stomach-full-of-jitters-little-beasts-that-were-second-cousins-to/) [William Kely McClung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kely-mcclung/) > [“Life would be perfect if monster would stop farting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chuka/life-would-be-perfect-if-monster-would-stop-farting/) [David Chuka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chuka/) > [“There are many types of monsters that scare me: Monsters who cause trouble without showing themselves, monsters who abduct children, monsters who devour dreams,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-lawliet/there-are-many-types-of-monsters-that-scare-me-monsters-who-cause/) [L Lawliet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-lawliet/) [Browse all 1,025 Monster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monster/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Whoever fights monsters,” Nietzsche had said, “should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. 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