Nietzsche's views on women have either to be loved at first sight or they become perhaps the greatest obstacle in the way of those who otherwise would be inclined to accept his philosophy. Women especially, of course, have been taught to dislike them, because it has been rumoured that his views are unfriendly to themselves. Now, to my mind, all this is pure misunderstanding and error. German philosophers, thanks to Schopenhauer, have earned rather a bad name for their views on women. It is almost impossible for one of them to write a line on the subject, however kindly he may do so, without being suspected of wishing to open a crusade against the fair sex. Despite the fact, therefore, that all Nietzsche's views in this respect were dictated to him by the profoundest love; despite Zarathustra's reservation in this discourse, that "with women nothing (that can be said) is impossible," and in the face of other overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Nietzsche is universally reported to have mis son pied dans le plat, where the female sex is concerned....His quarrel is not with women -- what indeed could be more undignified? -- it is with those who would destroy the natural relationship between the sexes, by modifying either the one or the other with a view to making them more alike. ...It is against this movement that Nietzsche raises his voice; he would have woman become ever more woman and man become ever more man. Only thus, and he is undoubtedly right, can their combined instincts lead to the excellence of humanity. Regarded in this light, all his views on woman appear not only necessary but just.
-- NOTES ON "THUS SPAKE ZARATHUSTRA" BY ANTHONY M. LUDOVICI.

Concerning woman, one should only talk unto men....Everything in woman is a riddle, and everything in woman hath one solution -- it is called pregnancy....Man is for woman a means: the purpose is always the child. But what is woman for man? ...Man shall be trained for war, and woman for the recreation of the warrior: all else is folly....Bitter is even the sweetest woman....A plaything let woman be, pure and fine like the precious stone, illumined with the virtues of a world not yet come....Let man fear woman when she hateth: for man in his innermost soul is merely evil; woman, however, is mean....The happiness of man is, "I will." The happiness of woman is, "He will." ...Obey, must the woman, and find a depth for her surface. Surface, is woman's soul, a mobile, stormy film on shallow water. Man's soul, however, is deep, its current gusheth in subterranean caverns: woman surmiseth its force, but comprehendeth it not...."Thou goest to women? Do not forget thy whip!" ...Worthy did this man seem, and ripe for the meaning of the earth: but when I saw his wife, the earth seemed to me a home for madcaps. Yea, I would that the earth shook with convulsions when a saint and a goose mate with one another....Careful, have I found all buyers, and all of them have astute eyes. But even the astutest of them buyeth his wife in a sack....When ye despise pleasant things, and the effeminate couch, and cannot couch far enough from the effeminate: there is the origin of your virtue....Sooner will I believe in the man in the moon than in the woman....And because we know little, therefore are we pleased from the heart with the poor in spirit, especially when they are young women! ...Thus would I have man and woman: fit for war, the one; fit for maternity...Never yet have I found the woman by whom I should like to have children, unless it be this woman whom I love: for I love thee, O Eternity!

***

And one day Zarathustra made a sign to his disciples, and spake these words unto them: "Here are priests: but although they are mine enemies, pass them quietly and with sleeping swords! Even among them there are heroes; many of them have suffered too much, so they want to make others suffer. Bad enemies are they: nothing is more revengeful than their meekness. And readily doth he soil himself who toucheth them. But my blood is related to theirs; and I want withal to see my blood honoured in theirs."

***

Therefore, O my brethren, a NEW NOBILITY is needed, which shall be the adversary of all populace and potentate rule, and shall inscribe anew the word "noble" on new tables. For many noble ones are needed, and many kinds of noble ones, FOR A NEW NOBILITY! Or, as I once said in parable: "That is just divinity, that there are Gods, but no God!"

***

I come again eternally to this identical and selfsame life, in its greatest and its smallest, to teach again the eternal return of all things.

***

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!

***

'Twas once -- methinks year one of our blessed Lord, --
Drunk without wine, the Sybil thus deplored: --
"How ill things go!
Decline! Decline! Ne'er sank the world so low!
Rome now hath turned harlot and harlot-stew,
Rome's Caesar a beast, and God hath turned Jew!

***

We must HEAR him; him who teacheth: 'Ye shall love peace as a means to new wars, and the short peace more than the long!' No one ever spake such warlike words: 'What is good? To be brave is good. It is the good war that halloweth every cause.' O Zarathustra, our fathers' blood stirred in our veins at such words: it was like the voice of spring to old wine-casks. When the swords ran among one another like red-spotted serpents, then did our fathers become fond of life; the sun of every peace seemed to them languid and lukewarm, the long peace, however, made them ashamed. How they sighed, our fathers, when they saw on the wall brightly furbished, dried-up swords! Like those they thirsted for war. For a sword thirsteth to drink blood, and sparkleth with desire."

***

A wanderer am I, who have walked long at thy heels; always on the way, but without a goal, also without a home: so that verily, I lack little of being the eternally Wandering Jew, except that I am not eternal and not a Jew.

***

'Nothing is true, all is permitted'

***

When, thou well of eternity! thou joyous, awful, noontide abyss! when wilt thou drink my soul back into thee?"

***
"Man must become better and eviler" -- so do I teach. The evilest is necessary for the Superman's best.... I rejoice in great sin as my great CONSOLATION. Such things, however, are not said for long ears....These are fine far-away things: at them sheep's claws shall not grasp!

***

Unto these men of to-day will I not be LIGHT, nor be called light. THEM will I blind: lightning of my wisdom! put out their eyes!

***

Walk in the footsteps in which your fathers' virtue hath already walked! How would ye rise high, if your fathers' will should not rise with you?

***

This crown of the laughter, this rose-garland crown: I myself have put on this crown, I myself have consecrated my laughter. No one else have I found to-day potent enough for this...This crown of the laughter, this rose-garland crown: to you my brethren do I cast this crown!

***

Life is ESSENTIALLY appropriation, injury, conquest of the strange and weak, suppression, severity, obtrusion of its own forms, incorporation and at least, putting it mildest, exploitation.

***

O heaven above me! thou pure, thou lofty heaven! This is now thy purity unto me, that there is no eternal reason-spider and reason-cobweb: -- That thou art to me a dancing-floor for divine chances, that thou art to me a table of the Gods, for divine dice and dice-players!

***

With the old Deities hath it long since come to an end: -- and verily, a good joyful Deity-end had they! They did not "begloom" themselves to death -- that do people fabricate! On the contrary, they LAUGHED themselves to death once on a time! That took place when the unGodliest utterance came from a God himself the utterance: "There is but one God! Thou shalt have no other Gods before me!"  An old grim-beard of a God, a jealous one, forgot himself in such wise: -- And all the Gods then laughed, and shook upon their thrones, and exclaimed: "Is it not just divinity that there are Gods, but no God?" He that hath an ear let him hear.

***

Where all becoming seemed to me dancing of Gods, and wantoning of Gods, and the world unloosed and unbridled and fleeing back to itself: -- As an eternal self-fleeing and re-seeking of one another of many Gods, as the blessed self-contradicting, recommuning, and refraternising with one another of many Gods.

***

Ye look aloft when ye long for exaltation; and I look downward because I am exalted.

***

"What I am NOT, that, that is God to me, and virtue!"

***

"Yea! I AM Zarathustra, the godless!"

***

Thou thinkest thyself wise, thou proud Zarathustra! Read then the riddle, thou hard nut-cracker, the riddle that I am! Say then: who am I!" ... Too long have we acknowledged them to be right, those petty people: SO we have at last given them power as well; and now do they teach that 'good is only what petty people call good.' And 'truth' is at present what the preacher spake who himself sprang from them, that singular saint and advocate of the petty people, who testified of himself: 'I am the truth.' That immodest one hath long made the petty people greatly puffed up, he who taught no small error when he taught: 'I am the truth.'

***

A wanderer am I, who have walked long at thy heels; always on the way, but without a goal, also without a home: so that verily, I lack little of being the eternally Wandering Jew, except that I am not eternal and not a Jew.

***

He who one day teacheth men to fly will have shifted all landmarks; to him will all landmarks themselves fly into the air; the earth will he christen anew—as "the light body."

***

Ye highest men who have come within my ken! this is my doubt of you, and my secret laughter:  I suspect ye would call my Superman a devil!

-- Thus Spake Zarathustra, by Friedrich Nietzsche