---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In every age the wisest have passed the…"
description: "\"In every age the wisest have passed the identical judgment on life: it is worthless.\" — Friedrich Nietzsche"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/953/friedrich-nietzsche-15_age_in-every-age-the-wisest-have-passed-the_1630172.jpg"
---

#  In every age the wisest have passed the identical judgment…

![“In every age the wisest have passed the identical judgment on life: it is worthless.” quote by Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/953/friedrich-nietzsche-15_age_in-every-age-the-wisest-have-passed-the_1630172.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/953/friedrich-nietzsche-15_age_in-every-age-the-wisest-have-passed-the_1630172.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/953/friedrich-nietzsche-15_age_in-every-age-the-wisest-have-passed-the_1630172.jpg)

> “In every age the wisest have passed the identical judgment on life: it is worthless.”

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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.

The wisest across ages deem life meaningless, highlighting existential nihilism and the challenge of finding purpose.

**In simple terms:** Life is seen as meaningless by the wise.

Key Takeaway

Contemplate meaning despite nihilism.

Themes

existentialism nihilism philosophy

Mood

thoughtful serious introspective

Type

philosophical existential

When to use this quote

- personal crisis
- artistic creation
- philosophical debate
- spiritual seeking

Key Concepts

Absurdism value creation subjective meaning

Questions to Reflect On

- Can meaning be self‑generated?
- What gives your life purpose?

A Different Perspective

Some argue meaning can be constructed, opposing absolute nihilism.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Human condition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-condition/) [Judgment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgment/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/)

## Related quotes

> [“On the Day of Judgment , life and death are not determined by the world but by God's wisdom and law”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/on-the-day-of-judgment-life-and-death-are-not-determined-by-the-world/)

[John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/)

> [If I had followed my better judgment always, my life would have been a very dull one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/if-i-had-followed-my-better-judgment-always-my-life-would-have-been-a/)

[Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/)

> [You invite judgment into your life every time you judge others. To avoid this invitation to negativity, it's best to stop focusing on others'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yehuda-berg/you-invite-judgment-into-your-life-every-time-you-judge-others-to/)

[Yehuda Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yehuda-berg/)

> [A judgment about life has no meaning except the truth of the one who speaks last, and the mind is at ease only at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-bataille/a-judgment-about-life-has-no-meaning-except-the-truth-of-the-one-who/)

[Georges Bataille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-bataille/)

> [I don't want someone coming in and passing judgment on my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bernhard/i-don-t-want-someone-coming-in-and-passing-judgment-on-my-life/)

[Sandra Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bernhard/)

> [Before you make any judgment on me and my life look back at your own life first and keep a closer eye on what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/before-you-make-any-judgment-on-me-and-my-life-look-back-at-your-own/)

[Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/)

> [Moral judgment is not life-giving; love that transcends the boundaries of judgment as Jesus' love did, is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/moral-judgment-is-not-life-giving-love-that-transcends-the-boundaries/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

> [Everything you do in your life is worthless but it is important that you do it , because nobody else will, like someone comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lr/everything-you-do-in-your-life-is-worthless-but-it-is-important-that/)

LR

> [Life only has the value a person gives it. If I killed you here and now, yours would be worthless and no one would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/life-only-has-the-value-a-person-gives-it-if-i-killed-you-here-and/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [Complaining about your current position in life is worthless. Have a spine and do something about it instead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/complaining-about-your-current-position-in-life-is-worthless-have-a/)

[Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/)

> [“What are ideals but an admission that life is worthless? What is art but the negation of life?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/what-are-ideals-but-an-admission-that-life-is-worthless-what-is-art/)

[Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/)

> [Remember that even if your life is worthless there is still a reason to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/innah-delos-angeles/remember-that-even-if-your-life-is-worthless-there-is-still-a-reason/)

[Innah Delos Angeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/innah-delos-angeles/)

> [One day you won't notice that I'm going out of your life. For it's worthless to stay with you who doesn't recognize my value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashed/one-day-you-won-t-notice-that-i-m-going-out-of-your-life-for-it-s/)

Ashed

> [“Well, the world presented its challenges, and without challenges life was worthless and pointless and, most crucially, devoid of interest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/well-the-world-presented-its-challenges-and-without-challenges-life/)

[Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/)

> [“If life was worthless, what was death?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/if-life-was-worthless-what-was-death/)

[George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/)

## More by Friedrich Nietzsche

> [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“Every select man strives instinctively for a citadel and a privacy, where he is FREE from the crowd, the many, the majority-- where he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/every-select-man-strives-instinctively-for-a-citadel-and-a-privacy/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“It breaks my heart. Better than your words, your eye tells me all your peril. You are not yet free, you still search for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-breaks-my-heart-better-than-your-words-your-eye-tells-me-all-your/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“79. A soul which knows that it is loved, but does not itself love, betrays its sediment: its dregs come up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/79-a-soul-which-knows-that-it-is-loved-but-does-not-itself-love/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [We deceive ourselves when giving respect to the person for whom we have surrendered ourselves, when we respectively expect them to be as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/we-deceive-ourselves-when-giving-respect-to-the-person-for-whom-we/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“The great periods of our life occur when we gain the courage to rechristen what is bad about us as what is best.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-great-periods-of-our-life-occur-when-we-gain-the-courage-to/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“What is life? Life - that is: continually shedding something that wants to die. Life - that is: being cruel and inexorable against everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/what-is-life-life-that-is-continually-shedding-something-that-wants/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [It is thus only this personal feeling of misery that we get rid of by acts of pity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-is-thus-only-this-personal-feeling-of-misery-that-we-get-rid-of-by/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“Writers whose thoughts are expressed with clarity and precision are assumed by readers to be superficial. Where the meaning is obscured, then readers give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/writers-whose-thoughts-are-expressed-with-clarity-and-precision-are/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“he does not wear a twitching, mobile, human face, but rather a mask, as it were, with its features in dignified equilibrium; he does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/he-does-not-wear-a-twitching-mobile-human-face-but-rather-a-mask-as/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [Chastity is a virtue with some, but with many it is almost a vice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/chastity-is-a-virtue-with-some-but-with-many-it-is-almost-a-vice/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [The earth is like the breasts of a woman: useful as well as pleasing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-earth-is-like-the-breasts-of-a-woman-useful-as-well-as-pleasing/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“Of all that is written I love only what a man has written in his own blood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/of-all-that-is-written-i-love-only-what-a-man-has-written-in-his-own/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [No shepherd and one herd! Everybody wants the same, everybody is the same: whoever feels different goes voluntarily into a madhouse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/no-shepherd-and-one-herd-everybody-wants-the-same-everybody-is-the/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [Pain makes hens and poets cackle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/pain-makes-hens-and-poets-cackle/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

[Explore all 3,486 Friedrich Nietzsche quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

## More Age quotes

> [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/)

[Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/)

> [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/)

[Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/)

> [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/)

[Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/)

> [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/)

[Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/)

> [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/)

[Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/)

> [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/)

[Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/)

[Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/)

> [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/)

[Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/)

> [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/)

[Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/)

> [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

> [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/)

[Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/)

> [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/)

[Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/)

> [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/)

[Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/)

[Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "In every age the wisest have passed the identical judgment on life: it is worthless.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Friedrich Nietzsche"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/in-every-age-the-wisest-have-passed-the-identical-judgment-on-life-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Age"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/in-every-age-the-wisest-have-passed-the-identical-judgment-on-life-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/953/friedrich-nietzsche-15_age_in-every-age-the-wisest-have-passed-the_1630172.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/953/friedrich-nietzsche-15_age_in-every-age-the-wisest-have-passed-the_1630172.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/953/friedrich-nietzsche-15_age_in-every-age-the-wisest-have-passed-the_1630172.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In every age the wisest have passed the identical judgment on life: it is worthless.” — Friedrich Nietzsche",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Friedrich Nietzsche",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "In every age the wisest have...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/in-every-age-the-wisest-have-passed-the-identical-judgment-on-life-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/in-every-age-the-wisest-have-passed-the-identical-judgment-on-life-it/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
