An excerpt from the original text.(complete · 820 words)
omewhere there are still peoples and herds, but not with us, my
brethren: here there are states.
A state? What is that? Well! open now your ears unto me, for now will I
say unto you my word concerning the death of peoples.
A state, is called the coldest of all cold monsters. Coldly lieth
it also; and this lie creepeth from its mouth: “I, the state, am the
people.”
It is a lie! Creators were they who created peoples, and hung a faith
and a love over them: thus they served life.
Destroyers, are they who lay snares for many, and call it the state:
they hang a sword and a hundred cravings over them.
Where there is still a people, there the state is not understood, but
hated as the evil eye, and as sin against laws and customs.
This sign I give unto you: every people speaketh its language of good
and evil: this its neighbour understandeth not. Its language hath it
devised for itself in laws and customs.
But the state lieth in all languages of good and evil; and whatever it
saith it lieth; and whatever it hath it hath stolen.
False is everything in it; with stolen teeth it biteth, the biting one.
False are even its bowels.
Confusion of language of good and evil; this sign I give unto you as
the sign of the state. Verily, the will to death, indicateth this sign!
Verily, it beckoneth unto the preachers of death!
Many too many are born: for the superfluous ones was the state devised!
See just how it enticeth them to it, the many-too-many! How it
swalloweth and cheweth and recheweth them!
“On earth there is nothing greater than I: it is I who am the regulating
finger of God”—thus roareth the monster. And not only the long-eared
and short-sighted fall upon their knees!
Ah! even in your ears, ye great souls, it whispereth its gloomy lies!
Ah! it findeth out the rich hearts which willingly lavish themselves!
Yea, it findeth you out too, ye conquerors of the old God! Weary ye
became of the conflict, and now your weariness serveth the new idol!
Heroes and honourable ones, it would fain set up around it, the new
idol! Gladly it basketh in the sunshine of good consciences,—the cold
monster!
Everything will it give YOU, if YE worship it, the new idol: thus it
purchaseth the lustre of your virtue, and the glance of your proud eyes.
It seeketh to allure by means of you, the many-too-many! Yea, a hellish
artifice hath here been devised, a death-horse jingling with the
trappings of divine honours!
Yea, a dying for many hath here been devised, which glorifieth itself as
life: verily, a hearty service unto all preachers of death!
The state, I call it, where all are poison-drinkers, the good and the
bad: the state, where all lose themselves, the good and the bad: the
state, where the slow suicide of all—is called “life.”
Just see these superfluous ones! They steal the works of the inventors
and the treasures of the wise. Culture, they call their theft—and
everything becometh sickness and trouble unto them!
Just see these superfluous ones! Sick are they always; they vomit their
bile and call it a newspaper. They devour one another, and cannot even
digest themselves.
Just see these superfluous ones! Wealth they acquire and become poorer
thereby. Power they seek for, and above all, the lever of power, much
money—these impotent ones!
See them clamber, these nimble apes! They clamber over one another, and
thus scuffle into the mud and the abyss.
Towards the throne they all strive: it is their madness—as if happiness
sat on the throne! Ofttimes sitteth filth on the throne.—and ofttimes
also the throne on filth.
Madmen they all seem to me, and clambering apes, and too eager. Badly
smelleth their idol to me, the cold monster: badly they all smell to me,
these idolaters.
My brethren, will ye suffocate in the fumes of their maws and appetites!
Better break the windows and jump into the open air!
Do go out of the way of the bad odour! Withdraw from the idolatry of the
superfluous!
Do go out of the way of the bad odour! Withdraw from the steam of these
human sacrifices!
Open still remaineth the earth for great souls. Empty are still many
sites for lone ones and twain ones, around which floateth the odour of
tranquil seas.
Open still remaineth a free life for great souls. Verily, he who
possesseth little is so much the less possessed: blessed be moderate
poverty!
There, where the state ceaseth—there only commenceth the man who is not
superfluous: there commenceth the song of the necessary ones, the single
and irreplaceable melody.
There, where the state CEASETH—pray look thither, my brethren! Do ye
not see it, the rainbow and the bridges of the Superman?—
Thus spake Zarathustra.
Master this chapter. Complete your experience
Purchase the complete book to access all chapters and support classic literature
As an Amazon Associate, we earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
Available in paperback, hardcover, and e-book formats
Let's Analyse the Pattern
The gradual process by which institutions absorb individual identity until people defend the system even when it harms them.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches you to recognize when organizations start demanding your identity as payment for belonging.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when you defend workplace policies you'd never accept in your personal life, or when criticism of your employer feels like personal attack.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"I, the state, am the people."
Context: Zarathustra exposes the fundamental lie that governments tell
This reveals how institutions claim to represent us while actually serving their own interests. The state isn't the people - it's a separate entity that feeds off people's authentic communities and individual creativity.
In Today's Words:
When politicians say 'We the people want this' when they really mean 'I want this and I'm using your name.'
"Where the state ceases, there begins the man who is not superfluous."
Context: His solution to the problem of institutional control
Nietzsche isn't calling for political revolution but personal liberation. Real individual worth only emerges when we stop defining ourselves through external institutions and start creating our own meaning.
In Today's Words:
You only discover who you really are when you stop letting other people's systems define your worth.
"With stolen teeth it biteth, the biting one."
Context: Describing how the state operates through theft and deception
The state has no authentic power of its own - everything it has, it took from genuine human communities. Even its ability to 'bite' (punish or control) comes from stolen authority.
In Today's Words:
The boss who takes credit for your work and then uses that success to control you.
Thematic Threads
Identity
In This Chapter
Zarathustra shows how the state consumes individual identity, making people define themselves through institutional belonging rather than personal values
Development
Evolution from earlier themes of self-creation—now showing what destroys authentic selfhood
In Your Life:
Notice when you introduce yourself by job title or institutional affiliation rather than personal qualities
Class
In This Chapter
The 'superfluous ones' represent how institutional systems create masses of people who've surrendered agency for false security
Development
Builds on earlier critiques of herd mentality, now showing its institutional roots
In Your Life:
Recognize when you're encouraged to see yourself as replaceable rather than uniquely valuable
Power
In This Chapter
The state's false claim 'I am the people' reveals how power structures co-opt authentic community for institutional control
Development
Introduced here as institutional rather than personal power dynamics
In Your Life:
Question when leaders claim to speak 'for' you while making decisions that benefit the institution over individuals
Social Expectations
In This Chapter
The pressure to climb toward the 'throne' shows how institutions create artificial hierarchies that corrupt even good people
Development
Connects to earlier themes about societal pressure, now showing systemic sources
In Your Life:
Notice when you're competing for positions that require you to compromise your values to obtain
Personal Growth
In This Chapter
Zarathustra's call to withdraw 'where the state ceases' points toward spaces where authentic development becomes possible
Development
Builds on self-creation themes by identifying what must be escaped for growth to occur
In Your Life:
Seek environments where you're valued for individual contribution rather than institutional compliance
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What does Zarathustra mean when he calls the state 'the coldest of all cold monsters' and says it lies when it claims 'I am the people'?
analysis • surface - 2
Why does Zarathustra argue that states destroy authentic communities? What's the difference between a genuine people creating their own values and a state imposing unity?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see this pattern of institutional capture in modern life - places where people lose their individual identity to become 'poison-drinkers' defending systems that harm them?
application • medium - 4
How can someone maintain their individual compass while still participating in necessary institutions like work, school, or community organizations?
application • deep - 5
What does this chapter reveal about the human tendency to surrender personal agency for belonging and security? When might this be healthy versus destructive?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Identity Audit: Where Am I the Institution?
List the main institutions in your life (workplace, family role, community groups, etc.). For each one, write down one belief or practice you defend automatically. Then ask: Am I defending this because it's genuinely right, or because my identity is tied to this institution? Notice which ones feel uncomfortable to question - those are your biggest identity mergers.
Consider:
- •Pay attention to your emotional reaction when questioning each institution's practices
- •Notice the difference between 'I work there' versus 'I am that place' thinking
- •Consider which parts of yourself exist completely outside these institutional roles
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you defended something institutional that you later realized was wrong. What made you finally see it clearly? How did separating your identity from the institution change your perspective?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 12: Escape the Poisonous Flies
Having warned against the seductive power of the state, Zarathustra now turns his attention to a different kind of escape - the danger of fleeing too far from human connection altogether. Sometimes the cure can become its own poison.
