The pliant, persuasive body, the dancer whose symbol and epitome is the self-enjoying soul. Of such bodies and souls the self-enjoyment calleth itself ‘virtue’.

With its words of good and bad doth such self-enjoyment shelter itself as with sacred groves; with the names of its happiness doth it banish from itself everything contemptible.

Away from itself doth it banish everything cowardly; it saith: ‘Bad—that is cowardly!’ Contemptible seem to it the ever-solicitous, the sighing, the complaining, and whoever pick up the most trifling advantage.

It despiseth also all bitter-sweet wisdom; for verily there is also wisdom that bloometh in the dark, a nightshade wisdom, which ever sigheth: ‘All is vain!’

Shy distrust is regarded by it as base, and every one who wanteth oaths instead of looks and hands; also all overdistrustful wisdom— for such is the mode of cowardly souls.

Baser still it regardeth the obsequious, doggish one, who immediately lieth on his back, the submissive one; and there is also wisdom that is submissive, and doggish, and pious, and obsequious.

Hateful to it altogether, and a loathing, is he who will never defend himself, he who swalloweth down poisonous spittle and bad looks, the all-too-patient one, the all-endurer, the all-satisfied one; for that is the mode of slaves.

Whether they be servile before Gods and divine spurnings, or before men and stupid human opinions, at all kinds of slaves doth it spit, this blessed selfishness!

Bad: thus doth it call all that is spirit-broken, and sordidly-servile—constrained, blinking eyes, depressed hearts, and the false submissive style, which kisseth with broad cowardly lips.

And spurious wisdom: so doth it call all the wit that slaves and hoary-headed and weary ones affect; and especially all the cunning, spurious-witted, curious-witted foolishness of priests!

The spurious wise, however—all the priests, the world-weary, and those whose souls are of feminine and servile nature—oh, how hath their game all along abused selfishness!

And precisely that was to be virtue and was to be called virtue— to abuse selfishness! And ‘selfless’—so did they wish themselves with good reason, all those world-weary cowards and cross-spiders!

But to all those cometh now the day, the change, the sword of judgment, the great noontide: then shall many things be revealed!

And he who proclaimeth the ego wholesome and holy, and selfishness blessed, verily he, the prognosticator, speaketh also what he knoweth: ‘Behold, it cometh, it is nigh, the great noontide!’

Thus spake Zarathustra.