Art is not merely an imitation of the reality of nature, but in truth a metaphysical supplement to the reality of nature, placed alongside thereof for its conquest. 1.72K
I do not know what the spirit of a philosopher could more wish to be than a good dancer. For the dance is his ideal, also his fine art, finally also the only kind of piety he knows, his ‘divine service.’ 629
For art to exist, for any sort of aesthetic activity to exist, a certain physiological precondition is indispensable: intoxication. 624
Admiration for a quality or an art can be so strong that it deters us from striving to possess it. 637
Perhaps I know best why it is man alone who laughs; he alone suffers so deeply that he had to invent laughter. 609
A woman may very well form a friendship with a man, but for this to endure, it must be assisted by a little physical antipathy. 557
