Works of Nietzsche, Paine, Wilde

SweetBabyCheezits

In the past, I was hardly keen on reading for pleasure but I have been cracking open some of the more, uh, classic(?) writings lately in an attempt to broaden my limited understanding. I'm pretty taken with Thomas Paine's The Age of Reason at the moment but I've also come across a number of quotes from Nietzsche and Oscar Wilde that make a great deal of sense to me. Here are a few I found interesting (and I apologize if any of these have already been brought out for discussion on this forum):

Regarding a revelation from God to man... "No one will deny or dispute the power of the Almighty to make such a communication, if he pleases. But admitting, for the sake of a case, that something has been revealed to a certain person, and not revealed to any other person, it is revelation to that person only. When he tells it to a second person, a second to a third, a third to a fourth, and so on, it ceases to be a revelation to all those persons. It is revelation to the first person only, and hearsay to every other, and consequently they are not obliged to believe it."
Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason)

“Reason obeys itself; and ignorance submits to whatever is dictated to it.”
Thomas Paine
“Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.”
Thomas Paine
“It is error only, and not truth, that shrinks from inquiry.”
Thomas Paine
“Here the ways of men part: If you wish to strive for peace of soul and pleasure, then
believe; If you wish to be a devotee of truth, then inquire.”
Friedrich Nietzsche
“A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything.”
Friedrich Nietzsche
"There are no facts, only interpretations."
Friedrich Nietzsche
“Truth, in matters of religion, is simply the opinion that has survived”
Oscar Wilde
“Scepticism is the beginning of Faith.”
Oscar Wilde

I could probably spend a whole day just reading quotes, if given the chance. Any recommendations on which books/writings I should add to my reading queue?

Mad Sweeney

I love your very first Paine quote.

Embarking down the path of reason really clears out a lot of the cobwebs. Great quotes all.

miseryloveselders

I've got all of Nietzsche's works. There's one thought he had I completely agree with him on. I wish I could remember exactly how he quoted it, maybe you or somebody can help me. It was a paragraph on religion, and he likened it to a disease where the sick wished to infect the healthy with their disease. Initially I didn't understand it, then it hit me, his quote accurately describes JWs and specifically the WTS. We're born with so many gifts, and so much potential, but we supress all of this because we're taught that its selfish to persue anything that doesn't involve the WTS. When I used to lurk here, I didn't know what to make of WTWizard's comments, but I've always loved and agreed with him calling this religion a Cancer. I label it the same now too. Nietzsche was right on religion.

Mad Sweeney

I couldn't find the Nietzsche quote, misery, but in searching I found a good one from Heinlein:

The most preposterous notion that H. sapiens has ever dreamed up is that the Lord God of Creation, Shaper and Ruler of all the Universes, wants the saccharine adoration of His creatures, can be swayed by their prayers, and becomes petulant if He does not receive this flattery. Yet this absurd fantasy, without a shred of evidence to bolster it, pays all the expenses of the oldest, largest, and least productive industry in all history.
-Robert Heinlein

Soldier77

“Reason obeys itself; and ignorance submits to whatever is dictated to it.”

Thomas Paine

Looks like I need to pick up some of Thomas Paine's work. I'm liking the quotes from him. Thanks!

tec

Is it Nietzsche who wrote Beyond Good and Evil? If so, he sent my sister into a depression with that book.

Tammy

Terry

Where Nietzsche went awry, in my opinion, is that he began to promulgate the idea that persons of Superior intellectual capacity not only had the right, but, the moral duty to force those less endowed to do their bidding "for their own good" and the good of the state.

The Uber-mensch or Superman could do as he wished to the lesser folk.

Can anybody say "Hitler"?

Getting a number of ideas right does not endow anybody with authority over others.

The Jehovah's Witness Governing mechanism gets some things right and then everything else wrong, for example. Yet, their authority is absolute regardless of error.

When there is no room for redress of grievance and a Loyal Opposition party you have authoritarian abuse and corruption.

All the Governing Body needs is to grant permission for regular (say once a week at the meetings) airing of problems, differences, questions, controversy etc. This would be a steam valve and outlet for disconent.

Don't hold your breath.

AGuest

While there is great wisdom in the sayings/writings of all of these men (peace to you all!). But such wisdom is limited (as offered by dear Terry with regard to Nietzsche)... because at some point the "personal" in such personal opinions will rear its ugly head. Even Solomon, reported to be the wisest man (of his time)... went awry, to the shipwrecking of his own faith. And Paul, upon whom SO many have built their faith... and reliance upon whose personal opinions have led to women... and other non-presbyter sheep of God being burdened and oppressed, if not misled/run away from God entirely.

And I am not immune; those times when I have allowed my personal views to take stage, I have very often had to apologize and even recant.

Man's wisdom can be great, dear ones, but it is limited. Because he is but a man... and terrestrial... and so limited. And sooner or later that limitation will be manifest, sadly, to the great detriment of others. Even if that man didn't intend such to occur.

I bid you peace... and ears to hear TRUE Wisdom, when he cries out to YOU (and he will, if he has not already, in which case, hopefully, you heard him). Proverbs 8:1-36.

I bid you peace.

A slave of TRUE Wisdom,

SA

PSacramento

“A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything.”

Friedrich Nietzsche

"There are no facts, only interpretations."

Friedrich Nietzsche

LOL ! The perfect two quotes to follow each other.

superpunk

Did the book called the Bible excel in purity of ideas and expression all the books now extant in the world, I would not take it for my rule of faith, as being the Word of God; because the possibility would nevertheless exist of my being imposed upon. But when I see throughout the greatest part of this book scarcely anything but a history of the grossest vices, and a collection of the most paltry and contemptible tales, I cannot dishonour my Creator by calling it by his name.

Paine

Works of Nietzsche, Paine, Wilde

Share this