5 Quotes From Friedrich Nietzsche That Help Reduce My Anxiety
“If we possess a why of life we put up with almost any how”
Lately, I’ve been going through a little bit of a rough patch. Between my father’s near-death experience with Covid, struggling to find job opportunities, and preparing for my upcoming Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competition coming up in a few weeks, I’ve been overwhelmed. I feel like I can’t overcome this.
But the thing is, just because we feel something doesn’t make it true. I find comfort in Friedrich Nietzsche’s philosophies because I know he struggled too, and he figured out some strong ideas to help us overcome our struggles.
The rawness in Nietzsche’s writing screams of a man in pain who was grasping at new ways of looking at the world against the approval of the society he lived in.
Because of this, he was misunderstood and frequently misrepresented. Many people still think he was a nihilist and others think he was a misogynistic antisemite (he wasn’t). He was a man on a mission, and I’ve always admired that.
Below are 5 Nietzsche quotes that keep me going when I’m going through a rough patch. The path to self-mastery is never going to be easy, but as Nietzsche tells you, it’s the only thing that matters.
1. “One must still have chaos in oneself to give birth to a dancing star.” (Thus Spoke Zarathustra)
In order to create your best work, it’s okay if you’re not perfect. Despite being a nervous wreck, you can still perform at a high level. Seeking perfection is not the goal, the goal is to create a dancing star. The goal is authentic self-expression, not removing all the chaos in our lives.
There’s no perfect moment where you’re going to be all “fixed” and ready to create what you’ve dreamed of. Growth is an everlasting process that will never truly end. What bothers you now might come and go, but new stressors will follow.
My dad might be sick today, my girlfriend might leave me tomorrow, and I could tear my ACL after that. Life doesn’t care. No matter the circumstances, I can still be the best version of myself. That’s what life’s about: overcoming.
If you wait for the opportune time to begin, you’ll never get started.
When I won the IBJJF No-Gi World Championship in 2019, I was not at peace with myself. I was anxious, burnt out, and seriously considering quitting martial arts. But my feelings don’t dictate my performance. I went out and had a great competition, and did some of the best work of my life.
2. “If we possess a why of life we put up with almost any how.” (Twilight of the Idols)
This is perhaps one of Nietzsche’s most famous quotes, but many often think that it comes from another great philosopher, Viktor Frankl.
Having a strong enough “why” can lead to the overcoming of even the most horrible of obstacles. Frankl quotes Nietzsche in his book Man’s Search For Meaning as an idea that helped him get through the hell of the concentration camps during the Holocaust.
No matter the situation, we can still overcome our greatest struggles. If you have a strong enough “why”, quitting isn’t an option. I won’t give up because I owe it to myself to be stronger than that. Quitting is free, but achievement comes at a cost. Your “why” will be tested, but that’s what makes life worth it.
It’s easier said than done, but Nietzsche urges us to find meaning in our suffering. I may be anxious about the health of my family or the result of a match, but that is a price that I have to pay to have meaningful relationships and pursue the goals I’ve wanted since I was a kid. It’s a worthwhile price.
I’d rather be anxious than nihilistic.
Whatever your “why” is, make it strong. That is the key to overcoming the most difficult parts of life.
3. “Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster.” (Beyond Good and Evil)
It’s not enough to pursue our goals. It’s also not enough to go on our quests for self-actualization or pursuits of happiness. We also have an ethical responsibility to ourselves to maintain firm principles and to not become a slave to weak ethics.
When you do anything, you likely start with good virtues in mind. However, a few failures, setbacks, and bitter thoughts can be the beginning of a path to the dark side. You have to keep yourself accountable.
We all start with Harvey Dent like ambition and morals, but it’s a quick and slippery slope to Two-Face.
Too much work and training can hurt your social life. Too much social life will hurt your family life. Too much family time will leave less time for your goals. It’s a balance, and failing to achieve that balance leads to burnout.
I experienced my worst burnout a few years ago, and it drove me to a breaking point. It took months to recover and I still don’t look at work the same. However, I’ll take that experience over becoming a workaholic who neglects his loved ones any day.
While you might start your business in the name of providing for your family or creating the life you’ve dreamed, that doesn’t mean you’re free from primitive desires like greed or exploitation.
4. “There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy.” (Thus Spoke Zarathustra)
Sometimes, I get lost in the complexities of my own anxieties and choices. I feel stuck. Sometimes it seems like life has put me in the middle of a rock and a hard place.
I doubt my path and my reasons for making the choices I make. I doubt myself and think that I should just give up. Sometimes I’m so anxious I disconnect from reality.
I overthink. Quite a bit, actually.
The problem is that everyone around you can support you, but if you don’t support yourself, you’ll never succeed and you’ll never be happy.
This quote is a call against overthinking. You can analyze, build strong morals, and create incredible philosophies, but sometimes you just have to trust your gut and do what feels right. If your body is telling you something is happening, pay attention. Your body evolved to scope out threats to its survival. Trust yourself.
Sometimes we’re all wrong, but to run away from your gut in the name of perceived wisdom is a form of self-betrayal. Nietzsche was against all ideologies, even the ones he created. He wanted each human to achieve self-mastery, not the mastery of his ideas.
Knowing yourself is more important than knowing some philosopher's moral code.
I’m learning when it’s time to take a break and I’m learning how to prioritize. It comes through time, self-awareness, and hard work. It takes mindfulness and hard work to create the self-awareness to trust your gut.
5. “What does not kill me makes me stronger.” (Twilight of the Idols)
This is probably the most famous Nietzsche quote of all time. If you haven’t heard it from Nietzsche, you’ve probably heard it from Kelly Clarkson.
Sometimes life makes us feel weak. It beats us down and doesn’t care who we are. It makes it hard to win that game, ask that girl out, or start that company.
It lets us know we aren’t special.
It also gives us the clarity to overcome pain in the future.
This quote has become a cliche (thanks to Kelly Clarkson), but its power remains. It’s not a call to action or a new way of looking at life, it’s an affirmation. We can survive whatever obstacles that life throws in front of us. It’s in our nature to overcome.
You were made to rebound from that loss, that business failure, or that failed relationship. In fact, survival is the only thing that you were wired to do. I can take rejection because it’s knowledge or data. I can take having people telling me I sound like a cornball because it makes my skin thicker.
I can take failure because I have the burning desire to succeed.
My entire high school wrestling career was a bit of a letdown. I failed at all of my major goals and didn’t wrestle in college. But the lessons learned from those failures have made me the martial artist, friend, and writer I am today. It was all worth it.
No matter what life throws at you, keep going until you can’t anymore. You owe it to yourself.
In Conclusion
Visionaries are often misunderstood, and Nietzsche was a prime example. His life was difficult and filled with countless painful struggles. But all of our lives are filled with struggles, and it’s our responsibility to overcome them and make the world a better place.
Despite Nietzsche’s struggles, he’s become one of the most referenced philosophers in the world today.
I mean, Kelly Clarkson wrote a song about him. Do I need to say more?
The premise of most of Nietzsche’s philosophy is overcoming. He was concerned more with self-mastery than happiness. Happiness is a collection of chemicals in our brains, but meaning doesn’t care what you feel like.
When I’m struggling with my emotions, what keeps me going is the passion for self-mastery. I recognize when I feel like shit, I accept it, and I keep going. That’s how you really improve your life. Achieving your goals won’t make you happy if inside your mind is out of your control.
Nietzsche is the philosopher of the entrepreneur, the athlete, the artist, or anyone who’s experiencing pain and suffering.
He’s the philosopher for anyone who’s trying to be the best version of themselves but just isn’t there yet. He wants you to keep going, because life will keep going, with or without you.
