And verily! Many a thing also that is OUR OWN is hard to bear! And many internal things in man are like the oyster--repulsive and slippery and hard to grasp;-So that an elegant shell, with elegant adornment, must plead for them. But this art also must one learn: to HAVE a shell, and a fine appearance, and sagacious blindness!
Again, it deceiveth about many things in man, that many a shell is poor and pitiable, and too much of a shell. Much concealed goodness and power is never dreamt of; the choicest dainties find no tasters!
Women know that, the choicest of them: a little fatter a little leaner--oh, how much fate is in so little!
Man is difficult to discover, and unto himself most difficult of all; often lieth the spirit concerning the soul. So causeth the spirit of gravity.
He, however, hath discovered himself who saith: This is MY good and evil: therewith hath he silenced the mole and the dwarf, who say: "Good for all, evil for all."Verily, neither do I like those who call everything good, and this world the best of all. Those do I call the all-satisfied.
All-satisfiedness, which knoweth how to taste everything,--that is not the best taste! I honour the refractory, fastidious tongues and stomachs, which have learned to say "I" and "Yea" and "Nay."To chew and digest everything, however--that is the genuine swine-nature!
Ever to say YE-A--that hath only the ass learnt, and those like it!--Deep yellow and hot red--so wanteth MY taste--it mixeth blood with all colours. He, however, who whitewasheth his house, betrayeth unto me a whitewashed soul.
With mummies, some fall in love; others with phantoms: both alike hostile to all flesh and blood--oh, how repugnant are both to my taste! For I love blood.
And there will I not reside and abide where every one spitteth and speweth: that is now MY taste,--rather would I live amongst thieves and perjurers.
Nobody carrieth gold in his mouth.
Still more repugnant unto me, however, are all lickspittles; and the most repugnant animal of man that I found, did I christen "parasite": it would not love, and would yet live by love.
Unhappy do I call all those who have only one choice: either to become evil beasts, or evil beast-tamers. Amongst such would I not build my tabernacle.
Unhappy do I also call those who have ever to WAIT,--they are repugnant to my taste--all the toll-gatherers and traders, and kings, and other landkeepers and shopkeepers.
Verily, I learned waiting also, and thoroughly so,--but only waiting for MYSELF. And above all did I learn standing and walking and running and leaping and climbing and dancing.
This however is my teaching: he who wisheth one day to fly, must first learn standing and walking and running and climbing and dancing:--one doth not fly into flying!
With rope-ladders learned I to reach many a window, with nimble legs did Iclimb high masts: to sit on high masts of perception seemed to me no small bliss;----To flicker like small flames on high masts: a small light, certainly, but a great comfort to cast-away sailors and ship-wrecked ones!
By divers ways and wendings did I arrive at my truth; not by one ladder did I mount to the height where mine eye roveth into my remoteness.
And unwillingly only did I ask my way--that was always counter to my taste!
Rather did I question and test the ways themselves.
A testing and a questioning hath been all my travelling:--and verily, one must also LEARN to answer such questioning! That, however,--is my taste:
--Neither a good nor a bad taste, but MY taste, of which I have no longer either shame or secrecy.
"This--is now MY way,--where is yours?" Thus did I answer those who asked me "the way." For THE way--it doth not exist!
Thus spake Zarathustra.
