Evaluations Quote by Friedrich Nietzsche
““Our evaluations. - All actions may be traced back to evaluations, all evaluations are original or adopted - the latter being by far the most common. Why do we adopt them? From fear - that is to say, we consider it more advisable to pretend they are our own - and accustom ourself to this pretense, so that at length it becomes our own nature. Original evaluation: that is to say, to assess a thing according to the extent to which it pleases or displeases us alone and no one else - something excessively rare! But must our evaluation of another, in which there lies motive for our general availing ourselves of his HIS evaluation, at least not proceed from US, be our OWN determination? Yes, but we arrive at it as children, and rarely learn to change our view; most of us are our whole lives long the fools of the way we acquired in childhood of judging our neighbors (their minds, rank, morality, whether they are exemplary or reprehensible) and of finding it necessary to pay homage to their evaluations.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Beyond Good and Evil, 1886
Human judgments often stem from inherited, fear‑driven evaluations rather than authentic personal assessment, limiting true individuality.
In simple terms: We copy others’ judgments out of fear, not personal truth.
Cultivate self‑derived standards.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- education
- personal development
- ethical decision making
- parenting
- leadership
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you identify inherited judgments?
- What steps foster authentic evaluation?
Original judgments are rare and hard to achieve without conscious effort.