Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, trans. Kaufmann, New York: NY, Modern Library (1995) p. 48, 1.11: “On the New Idol”

State is the name of the coldest of all cold monsters. Coldly it lies; and this lie slips from its mouth: 'I, the state, am the people’.

— Friedrich Nietzsche on Statism

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "State is the name of the coldest of all cold monsters. Coldly it lies; and this lie slips from its mouth: 'I, the state, am the people’." in the context of "Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, trans. Kaufmann, New York: NY, Modern Library (1995) p. 48, 1.11: “On the New Idol”" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Statism" (Quotes, N) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Friedrich Nietzsche

About Friedrich Nietzsche

Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher, cultural critic, composer, poet, writer, and philologist whose work has exerted a profound influence on modern intellectual history. His critiques of contemporary culture, religion, and philosophy centered on a basic question regarding the foundation of values and morality.