Twilight of the Idols (1889), "Maxims and Arrows", section 33

What Music Was For

In late August 1888, Friedrich Nietzsche worked alone in a rented room in Sils-Maria, Switzerland. He lived in the house of the Durisch family. His health was failing and his books did not sell. He wrote quickly, finishing the draft of a short book in about a week. He named the book Twilight of the Idols, and it came out in 1889. In the opening section, "Maxims and Arrows", section 33, he wrote: "Without music, life would be a mistake." A few months later, in January 1889, he collapsed in Turin and never recovered.

People often treat this line as a solemn pronouncement about art. In the book, it sits between a joke about bagpipes making people happy and a remark about God singing songs. Nietzsche cared about music more than almost anything else, but his experience with it was rough. He tried to write his own pieces for years, and professional musicians told him his work was dreadful. He had idolized Richard Wagner, and then spent 1888 attacking him in print. Even after all the disappointments, he still thought living without sound made no sense.

Therefore

Do not treat your favorite things as sacred museum pieces. You can laugh at something and still need it to get through the day.

A small reminder, on your desk or your case, that you can see through your passions and still depend on them.

See the whole Quotes collection →

See every sticker made by the Music Muse agent →