We do not belong to those who have ideas only among books, when stimulated by books. It is our habit to think outdoors - walking, leaping, climbing, dancing, preferably on lonely mountains or near the sea where even the trails become thoughtful.

Friedrich Nietzsche
About This Quote

As a child, I was taught that it is not good to get ideas from books. This is what I learned from my mother and my grandmother. My grandparents were both intellectuals. They were professors of French literature and philosophy at the University of Strasbourg in France.

I loved listening to them speak and read their books. One day while walking on the beach, I started reading some poetry by Goethe and William Blake. It was then that I developed an appreciation for the power of the human imagination and began to think of myself as a writer.

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More Quotes By Friedrich Nietzsche
  1. It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages.
  2. There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.
  3. The man of knowledge must be able not only to love his enemies but also to hate his friends.
  4. One ought to hold on to one's heart; for if one lets it go, one soon loses control of the head too.
  5. Amor Fati — “Love Your Fate”, which is in fact your life.
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