An excerpt from the original text.(complete · 816 words)
eople commended unto Zarathustra a wise man, as one who could discourse
well about sleep and virtue: greatly was he honoured and rewarded for
it, and all the youths sat before his chair. To him went Zarathustra,
and sat among the youths before his chair. And thus spake the wise man:
Respect and modesty in presence of sleep! That is the first thing! And
to go out of the way of all who sleep badly and keep awake at night!
Modest is even the thief in presence of sleep: he always stealeth softly
through the night. Immodest, however, is the night-watchman; immodestly
he carrieth his horn.
No small art is it to sleep: it is necessary for that purpose to keep
awake all day.
Ten times a day must thou overcome thyself: that causeth wholesome
weariness, and is poppy to the soul.
Ten times must thou reconcile again with thyself; for overcoming is
bitterness, and badly sleep the unreconciled.
Ten truths must thou find during the day; otherwise wilt thou seek truth
during the night, and thy soul will have been hungry.
Ten times must thou laugh during the day, and be cheerful; otherwise thy
stomach, the father of affliction, will disturb thee in the night.
Few people know it, but one must have all the virtues in order to sleep
well. Shall I bear false witness? Shall I commit adultery?
Shall I covet my neighbour’s maidservant? All that would ill accord with
good sleep.
And even if one have all the virtues, there is still one thing needful:
to send the virtues themselves to sleep at the right time.
That they may not quarrel with one another, the good females! And about
thee, thou unhappy one!
Peace with God and thy neighbour: so desireth good sleep. And peace also
with thy neighbour’s devil! Otherwise it will haunt thee in the night.
Honour to the government, and obedience, and also to the crooked
government! So desireth good sleep. How can I help it, if power like to
walk on crooked legs?
He who leadeth his sheep to the greenest pasture, shall always be for me
the best shepherd: so doth it accord with good sleep.
Many honours I want not, nor great treasures: they excite the spleen.
But it is bad sleeping without a good name and a little treasure.
A small company is more welcome to me than a bad one: but they must come
and go at the right time. So doth it accord with good sleep.
Well, also, do the poor in spirit please me: they promote sleep. Blessed
are they, especially if one always give in to them.
Thus passeth the day unto the virtuous. When night cometh, then take I
good care not to summon sleep. It disliketh to be summoned—sleep, the
lord of the virtues!
But I think of what I have done and thought during the day. Thus
ruminating, patient as a cow, I ask myself: What were thy ten
overcomings?
And what were the ten reconciliations, and the ten truths, and the ten
laughters with which my heart enjoyed itself?
Thus pondering, and cradled by forty thoughts, it overtaketh me all at
once—sleep, the unsummoned, the lord of the virtues.
Sleep tappeth on mine eye, and it turneth heavy. Sleep toucheth my
mouth, and it remaineth open.
Verily, on soft soles doth it come to me, the dearest of thieves, and
stealeth from me my thoughts: stupid do I then stand, like this academic
chair.
But not much longer do I then stand: I already lie.—
When Zarathustra heard the wise man thus speak, he laughed in his heart:
for thereby had a light dawned upon him. And thus spake he to his heart:
A fool seemeth this wise man with his forty thoughts: but I believe he
knoweth well how to sleep.
Happy even is he who liveth near this wise man! Such sleep is
contagious—even through a thick wall it is contagious.
A magic resideth even in his academic chair. And not in vain did the
youths sit before the preacher of virtue.
His wisdom is to keep awake in order to sleep well. And verily, if
life had no sense, and had I to choose nonsense, this would be the
desirablest nonsense for me also.
Now know I well what people sought formerly above all else when they
sought teachers of virtue. Good sleep they sought for themselves, and
poppy-head virtues to promote it!
To all those belauded sages of the academic chairs, wisdom was sleep
without dreams: they knew no higher significance of life.
Even at present, to be sure, there are some like this preacher of
virtue, and not always so honourable: but their time is past. And not
much longer do they stand: there they already lie.
Blessed are those drowsy ones: for they shall soon nod to sleep.—
Thus spake Zarathustra.
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Let's Analyse the Pattern
People seek teachers who promise growth through comfort, but real wisdom requires embracing discomfort to build genuine strength.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to identify when teachers are selling avoidance disguised as enlightenment.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when advice makes you feel better without making you stronger—that's comfort wisdom designed to keep you sleepwalking through real challenges.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"Ten times a day must thou overcome thyself: that causeth wholesome weariness, and is poppy to the soul."
Context: The teacher explains his formula for achieving good sleep through daily moral discipline.
This reveals how the teacher turns self-improvement into a mechanical routine. The phrase 'poppy to the soul' is key - poppies are used to make opium, suggesting this wisdom is actually a drug that numbs people to life's real challenges.
In Today's Words:
Exhaust yourself with busy work and moral checklists so you're too tired to ask hard questions.
"Few people know it, but one must have all the virtues in order to sleep well."
Context: The teacher claims that virtue is the secret to peaceful sleep.
This turns virtue into a tool for personal comfort rather than genuine moral growth. It suggests people should be good not because it's right, but because it helps them sleep better - a selfish motivation disguised as morality.
In Today's Words:
Be good so you can feel comfortable about yourself, not because it actually matters.
"Modest is even the thief in presence of sleep: he always stealeth softly through the night."
Context: The teacher uses the example of a quiet thief to illustrate respect for sleep.
This absurd comparison reveals the teacher's twisted priorities - even criminals are praised if they don't disturb sleep. It shows how this philosophy values comfort and peace above justice or truth.
In Today's Words:
Even bad people are okay as long as they don't make noise or cause inconvenience.
Thematic Threads
Social Expectations
In This Chapter
The sleep teacher succeeds by telling people exactly what they want to hear about virtue and conformity
Development
Builds on previous themes of societal pressure, showing how we reward leaders who reinforce our comfort zones
In Your Life:
Notice when you're drawn to advice that makes you feel good about staying exactly where you are
Personal Growth
In This Chapter
Zarathustra recognizes that true growth requires discomfort, not the numbing comfort the teacher provides
Development
Deepens the growth theme by contrasting real development with pseudo-wisdom
In Your Life:
Ask yourself whether your chosen mentors challenge you to become more or help you avoid becoming at all
Identity
In This Chapter
The crowd adopts the teacher's identity markers (virtue, obedience, reputation) rather than discovering their own
Development
Continues exploring how external authorities shape our sense of self
In Your Life:
Examine whether your values come from your own experience or from teachers who promise easy answers
Class
In This Chapter
The teacher offers moral formulas that maintain social order and hierarchy through obedience and conformity
Development
Shows how 'wisdom' can be used to keep people in their assigned social roles
In Your Life:
Question whether the advice you receive encourages you to accept your circumstances or transform them
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What specific advice does the sleep teacher give his audience, and why do the crowds love his message?
analysis • surface - 2
Why does Zarathustra see the sleep teacher's wisdom as problematic, even though it seems to work for his followers?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see 'sleep teachers' today—people who offer comfortable answers that help others avoid difficult growth?
application • medium - 4
How can you tell the difference between wisdom that challenges you to grow and wisdom that just makes you feel better about staying the same?
application • deep - 5
What does this chapter reveal about why people often choose comfort over growth, even when they say they want to improve their lives?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Audit Your Advice Sources
Make two lists: people or sources you turn to when life gets difficult. In the left column, write those who typically make you feel better or offer easy solutions. In the right column, write those who challenge you or ask hard questions. Look at the pattern—are you surrounding yourself with sleep teachers or growth teachers?
Consider:
- •Notice which list is longer and what that might mean
- •Consider how you feel after conversations with each type of person
- •Think about which sources actually help you handle problems better long-term
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when someone gave you advice that felt uncomfortable but turned out to be exactly what you needed. What made their approach different from the advice that just made you feel better?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 3: The Death of God Fantasy
Zarathustra's thoughts turn to his own past beliefs, when he too sought meaning in otherworldly explanations. He reflects on a time when he saw the world as the creation of a suffering God—a perspective he now questions.
