---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What [Nietzsche] calls slave morality is…"
description: "\"What [Nietzsche] calls slave morality is to him purely spite-morality; and this spite-morality gave new names to all ideals. Thus impotence, which offe..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9d/georg-brandes-10610_baseness_what-nietzsche-calls-slave-morality-is-t_2767791.jpg"
---

#  What \[Nietzsche\] calls slave morality is to him purely…

![“What [Nietzsche] calls slave morality is to him purely spite-morality; and this spite-morality gave new names to all ideals. Thus impotence, which offers no reprisal, became goodness; craven baseness became humility; submission to him who was feared became obedience; inability to assert one's self…” quote by Georg Brandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9d/georg-brandes-10610_baseness_what-nietzsche-calls-slave-morality-is-t_2767791.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9d/georg-brandes-10610_baseness_what-nietzsche-calls-slave-morality-is-t_2767791.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9d/georg-brandes-10610_baseness_what-nietzsche-calls-slave-morality-is-t_2767791.jpg)

> “What \[Nietzsche\] calls slave morality is to him purely spite-morality; and this spite-morality gave new names to all ideals. Thus impotence, which offers no reprisal, became goodness; craven baseness became humility; submission to him who was feared became obedience; inability to assert one's self became reluctance to assert one's self, became forgiveness, love of one's enemies. Misery became a distinction”

[Georg Brandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-brandes/)

## About This Quote

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

Nietzsche’s critique shows how resentment reshapes virtues, turning weakness into moral praise.

**In simple terms:** Spite turns weakness into praised virtues.

Key Takeaway

Recognize when values stem from resentment.

Themes

morality resentment power virtue psychology

Mood

reflective critical thoughtful

Type

philosophical analytical

When to use this quote

- personal relationships
- political discourse
- social movements

Key Concepts

slave morality value inversion ethical relativism

Questions to Reflect On

- How do we differentiate genuine virtue from resentment?
- Can we reclaim strength without demeaning others?

A Different Perspective

May oversimplify complex moral development.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Baseness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baseness/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Distinction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distinction/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Goodness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goodness/) [Humility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humility/) [Ideals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideals/) [Misery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misery/) [Morality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morality/) [Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nietzsche/) [Obedience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obedience/) [Reluctance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reluctance/) [Reprisal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reprisal/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Slave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slave/) [Spite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spite/) [Submission](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/submission/)

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## More by Georg Brandes

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