count to me are market-place and populace and
populace-noise and long populace-ears!"

Ye higher men, learn THIS from me: On the market-place no one believeth
in higher men. But if ye will speak there, very well! The populace,
however, blinketh: "We are all equal."

"Ye higher men,"--so blinketh the populace--"there are no higher men, we
are all equal; man is man, before God--we are all equal!"

Before God!--Now, however, this God hath died. Before the populace,
however, we will not be equal. Ye higher men, away from the
market-place!

2.

Before God!--Now however this God hath died! Ye higher men, this God was
your greatest danger.

Only since he lay in the grave have ye again arisen. Now only cometh the
great noontide, now only doth the higher man become--master!

Have ye understood this word, O my brethren? Ye are frightened: do your
hearts turn giddy? Doth the abyss here yawn for you? Doth the hell-hound
here yelp at you?

Well! Take heart! ye higher men! Now only travaileth the mountain of the
human future. God hath died: now do WE desire--the Superman to live.

3.

The most careful ask to-day: "How is man to be maintained?" Zarathustra
however asketh, as the first and only one: "How is man to be SURPASSED?"

The Superman, I have at heart; THAT is the first and only thing to
me--and NOT man: not the neighbour, not the poorest, not the sorriest,
not the best.--

O my brethren, what I can love in man is that he is an over-going and a
down-going. And also in you there is much that maketh me love and hope.

In that ye have despised, ye higher men, that maketh me hope. For the
great despisers are the great reverers.

In that ye have despaired, there is much to honour. For ye have not
learned to submit yourselves, ye have not learned petty policy.

For to-day have the petty people become master: they all preach
submission and humility and policy and diligence and consideration and
the long et cetera of petty virtues.

Whatever is of the effeminate type, whatever originateth from the
servile type, and especially the populace-mishmash:--THAT wisheth now to
be master of all human destiny--O disgust! Disgust! Disgust!

THAT asketh and asketh and never tireth: "How is man to maintain himself
best, longest, most pleasantly?" Thereby--are they the masters of
to-day.

These masters of to-day--surpass them, O my brethren--these petty
people: THEY are the Superman's greatest danger!

Surpass, ye higher men