I teach you the Superman. Man is something that is to be surpassed.
Genuine
Yes. In Thus Spoke Zarathustra (1883), Prologue, section 3 (Zarathustra’s Prologue, Zarathustras Vorrede), said by Zarathustra. These are the character’s words, not a statement in Nietzsche’s own voice.
Found word for word by program in the German original and in Thomas Common’s English translation (1909).
- Work
- Thus Spoke Zarathustra (Also sprach Zarathustra), 1883
- Where
- Prologue, section 3 (Zarathustra’s Prologue, Zarathustras Vorrede)
- Found at
- Paragraph 48 of the German text, 82 of the English
- Translation
- Thomas Common, 1909
Researched by AI; checked by program against the full text on 31 October 2026. Editorial review: pending. How we check
On the page
[…] And Zarathustra1 spake thus unto the people:
[…] Und Zarathustra sprach also zum Volke:
I TEACH YOU THE SUPERMAN. Man is something that is to be surpassed. What have ye done to surpass man?
Ich lehre euch den Übermenschen. Der Mensch ist Etwas, das überwunden werden soll. Was habt ihr gethan, ihn zu überwinden?
All beings hitherto have created something beyond themselves: and ye want to be the ebb of that great tide, and would rather go back to the beast than surpass man?
„Alle Wesen bisher schufen etwas über sich hinaus: und ihr wollt die Ebbe dieser großen Flut sein und lieber noch zum Thiere zurückgehen, als den Menschen zu überwinden?“
What is the ape to man? A laughing-stock, a thing of shame. And just the same shall man be to the Superman: a laughing-stock, a thing of shame.
Was ist der Affe für den Menschen? Ein Gelächter oder eine schmerzliche Scham. Und ebendas soll der Mensch für den Übermenschen sein: ein Gelächter oder eine schmerzliche Scham.
The scene
Zarathustra comes down to the nearest town, where people have gathered to watch a rope-dancer. These are the first words of his first speech. He goes on to say that man is to the Superman what the ape is to man, a laughing-stock and a thing of shame; the crowd does not understand him and waits for the rope-dancer.
What it means
Man is not a finished thing but something to be overcome; Zarathustra asks what his hearers have done toward that.
Often misread
Translated ‘Superman’ here (Thomas Common), later usually ‘Overman’; the word has been read as a master race, which the book does not say. Zarathustra’s Übermensch is a goal for those who create beyond themselves, and the speech is addressed to a crowd that laughs at it.
Use with care
The word Übermensch was taken up by National Socialist writers after Nietzsche’s death, with his sister’s help in editing his papers; the passage itself speaks of self-overcoming, not of race.
Topics
Related quotes
- What is great in man is that he is a bridge and not a goal.
- God is dead.
- One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star.
- For this is your duty, to act well the part that is given to you; but to select the part, belongs to another. Epictetus
- You become what you give your attention to. (misattributed) Epictetus
Sources
- en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Friedrich_Nietzsche (Thus Spoke Zarathustra; checked 28 October 2026)
Cite it
Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra (1883), Prologue, section 3 (Zarathustra’s Prologue, Zarathustras Vorrede), translated by Thomas Common (1909). Spoken by Zarathustra. Checked at Quotogeny, https://quotogeny.com/q/i-teach-you-the-superman/ (31 October 2026).
Have a different wording, or a source we missed? Check it or submit it.
Do you hold the rights to anything on this page? Tell us.
Checked by people
People who checked this entry against its source, under their own names. Their checks do not change the verdict: an editor reviews every entry.
Comments