Source identified
Read & copy the quotation
“A man should not play the coward to his deeds. He should not repudiate them once he has performed them.”
- Date
- 1889
- English wording
- Anthony M. Ludovici — Translator · from German
Meaning of “A man should not play the coward to…”
The maxim demands ownership of deliberate action rather than retreating from one’s agency after the fact; responsibility here means acknowledging what one chose, not claiming that every past decision was wise or harmless.
Where does it come from?
The Twilight of the Idols, “Maxims and Missiles,” maxim 10, Anthony M. Ludovici translation, Project Gutenberg #52263. This record uses the first two sentences; Nietzsche immediately follows them with a more provocative remark about pangs of conscience.
