Pages

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

There. I said it. I'm better now. Thanks.

Image from here.
Many people I know express a real appreciation for the following famous quote: "That which does not kill us makes us stronger." ~Friedrich Nietzsche

This is perhaps my least favourite quote. Sure, there's wisdom in this statement. It reminds us to "carry on." It trumps ignoble self-pity. It steels us to face future hardship. I get it. Believe me. My own Stewart clan motto is "courage strengthens at the wound." And yet I can't help but think that Neitzsche was misquoted. Or more likely, I think he was interrupted:

That which does not kill us makes us stronger...but it also makes us older and grayer and fatter and depressed and pissed-off and bitter too.

Just sayin.

21 comments:

karensomethingorother said...

isn't that the truth, my friend!!!

laughingmom said...

I agree! I like to say "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger as long as we stay on our prescribed medication."

Pickleope said...

You're right, they totally cut the quote short. I like the full version better.

Nicole Leigh Shaw said...

I agree. It's right up there with "God doesn't give you more than you can handle."

I call BS on both.

Josh said...

I don't know what I like about this post better: the post itself, or the source of the picture on the post.

Classic.

Sub Radar (Mike) said...

Haha, the cynic in me agrees wholeheartedly.

Symdaddy said...

Never had you pegged as a philosopher!

Let me know when you book is out!

Al Penwasser said...

Easy for Superman to say. All he had to worry about was kryptonite. And tights that ran too snug in the seat.
Oh, yeah, and Margot Kidder playing Lois Lane in the movies.
That's one crazy bitch.

Sultan said...

My favorite Nietzsche quote is: "A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything."

PokerLawyer said...

This is so good.

Vinny C said...

I like to think of it as, "That which does not kill us, makes us suffer in agony for a long time... & then it kills us.

Antares Cryptos said...

Lol.

Poor Nietzsche was probably interrupted from finishing his sentence by something that was about to kill him.

No time for grammar.

Nubian said...

I totally prefer your version.

Alittlesprite said...

I hear ya...
Also, anyone who tells me to "Keep my chin up"... I want to ninja kick.

j. littlejohn said...

mine too. never found a lot of sense in it.

Anonymous said...

"What doesn't kill us...weakens us to the point where our immune system can't keep up and the common cold does the job for it."

-Doug Stephens

Homemaker Man said...

One of my favorites is "Nietzche was kind of a douche."

wendy said...

ha ha ha....Now I have to say, I like a guy/or gal....who can just tell it like it is sometimes.

I read/hear 100's of inspirational quotes
and yes, I do appreciate them, and try to be uplifted by them

but sometimes, you just wanna say
Bull shit

wendy said...

now that I said tha
I can move on (tee,hee)

Anonymous said...

and once we are older and grayer and fatter, we have no choice but to get stronger because we can't get by on our pretty looks any longer, so he mostly had it right, but you are way smarter than that guy.

ToBlog today said...

Right on, full verse it is!!!

"everything happens for a reason" should be "everything that happens to is cause and effect"

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...