In section 3 of the preface of The Gay Science, he writes: For to love that which is necessary demands not only that we love the bad along with the good, but that we view the two as inextricably linked. Nietzsche's love of fate naturally leads him to confront the reality of suffering in a radical way. Hollingdale, who translated Thus Spoke Zarathustra into English, argued that Nietzsche's idea of amor fati originated in the Lutheran Pietism of his childhood. Nietzsche in this context refers to the 'Yes-sayer', not in a political or social sense, but as a person who is capable of uncompromising acceptance of reality per se. And all in all and on the whole: some day I wish to be only a Yes-sayer. I do not want to accuse I do not even want to accuse those who accuse. Amor fati: let that be my love henceforth! I do not want to wage war against what is ugly. I want to learn more and more to see as beautiful what is necessary in things then I shall be one of those who makes things beautiful. The phrase is used elsewhere in Nietzsche's writings and is representative of the general outlook on life that he articulates in section 276 of The Gay Science: Not merely bear what is necessary, still less conceal it-all idealism is mendacity in the face of what is necessary-but love it. My formula for greatness in a human being is amor fati: that one wants nothing to be different, not forward, not backward, not in all eternity. In 'Why I Am So Clever' ( Ecce Homo, section 10), he writes: However, it found its most explicit expression in Nietzsche, who made love of fate central to his philosophy. It has also been linked to the writings of Marcus Aurelius, who did not use those words (he wrote in Greek, not Latin). The concept of amor fati has been linked to Epictetus. long for nothing more fervently than this ultimate eternal confirmation and seal').

From this he developed a desire to be willing to live exactly the same life over and over for all eternity ('. Īmor fati is often associated with what Friedrich Nietzsche called ' eternal recurrence', the idea that, over an infinite period of time, everything recurs infinitely. It is used to describe an attitude in which one sees everything that happens in one's life, including suffering and loss, as good or, at the very least, necessary. For His goodness is always clear, bright, and continually shining.For other uses, see Amor fati (disambiguation).Īmor fati is a Latin phrase that may be translated as 'love of fate' or 'love of one's fate'. He is not now good, and now turned to the contrary, for He is always light, and with Him is no darkness at all. The planets now in this place of heaven, now in that shining. He is not like the sun, the moon, the stars, which appear and shine sometimes, but at other times are covered with darkness, which have their changes and their courses, the day now, within ten, eleven, or twelve hours the night the sun glorious now in beauty, but anon in an eclipse the moon now in the fall, now in the wan, now new, now a quarter old, and so forth. Thirdly, as God changeth not, so there is no shadower turning with Him. Therefore by His prophet Malachi He crieth, 'I am the Lord, I change not and you sons of Jacob are not consumed.'ģ. When God altereth things at His own pleasure, saith Gregory, the things alter, but He remaineth the same, and changeth not. God is not variable, there is no changing with Him, He is constant, always alike, ever cause of good, never author of evil: whereof even Balaam the covetous prophet truly prophesied ( Numbers 23:19). This is added to prevent that which otherwise might have been objected, they might say, God, indeed, is sometimes the cause of good things among men, it followeth not therefore but that He may be sometimes in like manner the cause of evil. Secondly, and moreover, it is attributed unto God that He is not variable, mutable, changeable, with whom there is, saith St. First, He is called the Father of Lights, the Fountain and Well-spring, the Author and Cause from whence all good gifts flow and spring unto men.Ģ. In this place Almighty God is adorned with three ornaments, wherein His excellent goodness more appeareth.ġ. All the effects of God's will are only good, and whatsoever virtue, grace, Food gifts, it is from God. Peter calleth Him the God of all grace ( 1 Peter 5:10), because all grace and all go, d gifts come only from Him, as from a well-head and fountain.

God is the fountain of all goodness, the giver of all good gifts, the author of all good things in men, He worketh whatsoever is good in the whole world. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no ficklenss…

Fate of all good things