Q0112
Friedrich Nietzsche
A verified English rendering from the curated archive.
English
One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star.
Source context
This English passage is associated with Thus Spoke Zarathustra, within the tradition of Philosophy of Life. The wording below is a verified rendering prepared for careful reading rather than a claim of unique translation authority.
A short reading
Read in the register of creation, the sentence asks the reader to test an assumption rather than to collect a slogan. In Friedrich Nietzsche's wider work, similar claims are usually offered as prompts for judgment: what would have to be true for the sentence to hold, and what would follow if it did?
How to cite this quotation
APA: Friedrich Nietzsche. (n.d.). One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0112
MLA: Friedrich Nietzsche. “One must still have chaos in oneself to….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0112.
Chicago: Friedrich Nietzsche. “One must still have chaos in oneself to….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0112.