“Freedom,” ye all roar most eagerly; but I have unlearned the belief in “great events”, when there is much roaring and smoke about them.

And believe me, friend Hollaballoo! The greatest events—are not our noisiest, but our stillest hours.

Not around the inventors of new noise, but around the inventors of new values, doth the world revolve; inaudibly it revolveth.

And just own to it! Little had ever taken place when thy noise and smoke passed away. What, if a city did become a mummy, and a statue lay in the mud!

And this do I say also to the o’erthrowers of statues: it is certainly the greatest folly to throw salt into the sea, and statues into the mud.

In the mud of your contempt lay the statue; but it is just its law that out of contempt, its life and living beauty grow again!

With diviner features doth it now arise, seducing by its suffering; and verily, it will yet thank you for o’erthrowing it, ye subverters!

This counsel, however, do I counsel to kings and churches and to all that is weak with age or virtue—let yourselves be o’erthrown! That ye may again come to life, and that virtue—may come to you!’

Thus spake I before the fire-dog; then did he interrupt me sullenly and asked: ‘Church? What is that?’

‘Church?’ I answered. ‘That is a kind of state, and indeed the most mendacious. But remain quiet, thou dissembling dog! Thou surely knowest thine own species best!

Like thyself the state is a dissembling dog; like thee doth it like to speak with smoke and roaring—to make believe, like thee, that it speaketh out of the heart of things.

For it seeketh by all means to be the most important creature on earth, the state; and people think it so.’

When I had said this, the fire-dog acted as if mad with envy. ‘What,’ cried he, ‘the most important creature on earth? And people think it so?’ And so much vapour and terrible voices came out of his throat that I thought he would choke with vexation and envy.

At last he became calmer and his panting subsided; as soon, however, as he was quiet, I said laughingly:

‘Thou art angry, fire-dog: so I am in the right about thee!

And that I may also maintain the right, hear the story of another fire-dog; he speaketh actually out of the heart of the earth.

Gold doth his breath exhale, and golden rain: so doth his heart desire. What are ashes and smoke and hot dregs to him!

Laughter flitteth from him like a variegated cloud; adverse is he to thy gargling and spewing and grips in the bowels!

The gold, however, and the laughter—these doth he take out of the heart of the earth; for, that thou mayst know it, the heart of the earth is of gold.’

When the fire-dog heard this, he could no longer endure to listen to me. Abashed did he draw in his tail, said ‘bow-wow!’ in a cowed voice, and crept down into his cave.