Friedrich Nietzsche

Thus Spoke Zarathustra

On Redemption

“The spirit of revenge, my friends, has so far been the subject of man’s best reflection; and where there was suffering, one always wanted punishment too. “For ‘punishment’ is what revenge calls itself; with a hypocritical lie it creates a good conscience for itself. “Because there is suffering in those who will, in as much as they cannot will backwards, willing itself and all life were supposed to be a punishment. And now cloud upon cloud rolled over the spirit, until eventually madness preached, ‘Everything passes away; therefore everything deserves to pass away. And this too is justice, this law of time that it must devour its children.’ Thus preached madness.