Chapter 07
Writing with Blood and Dancing with Life
Of all that is written, I love only what a person hath written with his blood. Write with blood, and thou wilt find that blood is spirit. It is no easy task to understand unfamiliar blood; I hate the reading idlers. He who knoweth the reader, doeth nothing more for the reader. Another century of readers—and spirit itself will stink. Every one being allowed to learn to read, ruineth in the long run not only writing but also thinking. Once spirit was God, then it became man, and now it even becometh populace. He that writeth in blood and proverbs…
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Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"Of all that is written, I love only what a person hath written with his blood."
Context: Opening the chapter with his philosophy on authentic creation
This sets up the entire chapter's theme about authenticity versus superficiality. Zarathustra is saying that only work that comes from genuine personal investment and risk has real value.
In Today's Words:
A mentor can tell when a speaker has lived what she is sharing versus when she rehearsed it from a book. The difference is not volume or passion but a particular quality of risk: something is on the line for her, and the room can feel the weight of that honesty the moment she opens
"Every one being allowed to learn to read, ruineth in the long run not only writing but also thinking."
Context: Expressing frustration with mass consumption of ideas
This controversial statement reflects Nietzsche's concern that when wisdom becomes too easily accessible, it loses its transformative power and creates shallow thinking instead of deep understanding.
In Today's Words:
A warehouse manager notices that workers who learned skills through expensive mistakes retain them differently from those who read the onboarding manual. Easy access to information breeds confidence without competence; real education happens when you have skin in the game and cannot afford to get it wrong.
"I should only believe in a God that would know how to dance."
Context: Rejecting overly serious approaches to spirituality and life
This famous line captures Zarathustra's philosophy of life-affirmation. He's rejecting the grim, guilt-based spirituality of his time in favor of something joyful and life-celebrating.
In Today's Words:
A therapist who sings through hard exercises recovers patients faster than the one who runs a joyless clinic session. Zarathustra insists any framework worth following must celebrate being alive. Gravity and grimness are not depth; they are signs that someone has forgotten what their own commitment is supposed to be for.
"Ye look aloft when ye long for exaltation; and I look downward because I am exalted."
Context: Contrasting his elevated perspective with others' seeking
This shows Zarathustra's transformation from seeker to creator of values. Instead of looking up for answers, he's claiming his own authority and perspective.
In Today's Words:
A new nurse still asks her supervisor for validation after each decision; the mentor she admires stopped needing that years ago and now guides from her own accumulated certainty. Zarathustra marks the same transition: looking up signals you are still seeking, while looking down signals you have arrived and can see clearly.
Thematic Threads
Authenticity
In This Chapter
Zarathustra demands 'writing with blood': genuine personal investment rather than casual intellectual consumption
Development
Builds on earlier themes of becoming who you are, now focusing on how authentic engagement creates value
In Your Life:
You might recognize this when you realize you're going through motions at work or in relationships without really caring about outcomes
Class
In This Chapter
Distinction between those who can access wisdom through effort versus those who expect easy consumption
Development
Continues exploration of different types of people, now focusing on intellectual rather than moral categories
In Your Life:
You see this in how some people expect quick fixes while others understand that real improvement takes sustained effort
Personal Growth
In This Chapter
Transformation from needing to be pushed to being able to fly: evolution through authentic engagement
Development
Shows the endpoint of earlier growth themes: what it looks like to actually become self-directed
In Your Life:
You experience this when you stop waiting for motivation and start creating your own momentum
Joy
In This Chapter
The 'dancing God' philosophy: approaching life's challenges with lightness rather than grim seriousness
Development
Introduced here as a counterbalance to heavy philosophical weight
In Your Life:
You might need this when you catch yourself taking every setback as a personal catastrophe instead of a dance step
Social Expectations
In This Chapter
Rejection of the 'spirit of gravity' that makes everything heavy and serious according to social norms
Development
Continues theme of rejecting conventional wisdom, now specifically targeting cultural heaviness
In Your Life:
You see this when you realize you're carrying stress about things that don't actually matter to your real goals
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
This is not a test. Five prompts guide you through the chapter, from how it opens to how it closes, so you notice context and rhythm rather than facts to memorize. Sit with each question in your own words. When you see "One way to read it," treat it as a starting point, not the only answer.
- 1
What does Zarathustra mean by writing 'with blood,' and why does he hate the 'reading idlers'?
analysis • surfaceOne way to read it
Writing with blood means creating from genuine personal investment and risk, not borrowed ideas. Reading idlers consume without being transformed, so they spread shallow thinking rather than real wisdom that can change someone.
- 2
Why does Zarathustra argue that proverbs should be 'peaks' requiring 'long legs' to reach?
analysis • mediumOne way to read it
Real wisdom should demand effort and strength from the reader; if it is too easily accessible, it cannot compel the transformation it requires. A peak you cannot reach without training stays meaningful precisely because it filters who arrives.
- 3
Think of a time you were moved by someone's advice or teaching. What quality told you they had genuinely lived what they were sharing?
application • mediumOne way to read it
Specific detail, visible risk, and a particular honesty usually mark lived experience. Generic advice sounds interchangeable; something earned through difficulty has an irreplaceable texture that listeners can sense without being able to name it.
- 4
Zarathustra says he would only believe in a God that dances, rejecting the 'spirit of gravity.' Where does the spirit of gravity show up in a workplace or community you know well?
application • deepOne way to read it
It shows up when every mistake becomes a crisis, when playfulness is treated as unprofessional, or when people speak of their work with grim obligation instead of any sign they chose it freely and would choose it again.
- 5
At the chapter's close, Zarathustra describes learning to walk, then to fly, until a God in him dances. What does that arc suggest about how genuine personal transformation actually feels from the inside?
reflection • deepOne way to read it
Transformation is not a single breakthrough but a series of releases: the effort to keep going gives way to momentum, which gives way to joy. The dancing God is not a destination but what happens when the hard work has been fully absorbed and no longer feels like work.
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Investment Levels
List three areas of your life: work, relationships, and personal growth. For each area, honestly assess whether you're engaging at surface level or with deep investment. What do you currently have 'at stake' in each area? What would change if you approached one of these areas 'with blood'—meaning with genuine personal risk and commitment?
Consider:
- •Surface engagement feels safer but produces less growth and satisfaction
- •Deep investment requires accepting discomfort and potential failure
- •You can't invest deeply in everything—choose what matters most to you
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you committed fully to something important despite the risk. What did that level of investment teach you about yourself and what you're capable of achieving?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 8: The Youth on the Mountain
A troubled youth sits alone in the hills, avoiding Zarathustra's presence. When the philosopher discovers him gazing wearily into the valley, a new encounter begins that will reveal what happens when wisdom meets someone who isn't ready to receive it.
