The German philosopher and philologist, Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 – 1900), was a controversial figure of the 19^th Century. Considered as one of the first of the existentialists, his philosophical views have been an inspiration for many prominent cultural figures and professions, including writers, artists, psychologists, philosophers, sociologists, revolutionaries and even dancers. Now, you can add jewellery designers to the list!

There’s a lot to be said about Nietzsche. He questioned and challenged the value and objectivity of truth. He developed the concept of “Life-Affirmation,” an honest questioning of all doctrines that drain life’s expansive energies, however socially prevalent those views might be.

He also developed the concepts of “The Will to Power” and the “Ubermensch”, or ”Overman”. In a nutshell, these philosophies put forward the idea that the struggle to survive is a secondary drive in all beings, less important than the desire to expand one’s own power, and that in addition to this, we humans are but a stage in evolution – that something more evolved than us is yet to come, and will eventually replace us.

Amazing stuff! In the context of Nietzsche’s life’s work, we can understand now why he said that what doesn’t destroy us makes us stronger. It’s also apparent that Nietzsche meant this quote to refer to something much bigger than himself.

But we don’t have to consider his words in the context of all of humanity, as he probably did – we can certainly personalize them and draw strength and inspiration from them in our own lives. We know for a fact that people have worn these words on a Poetic Piece in the face of personal challenges – from illness to loss, to natural disaster (if you’ve done so, we’d love to hear from you).

Nietzsche’s words are available as a pendant (P-3-3), bangle (B-1-3), ring (R-3 or R-3-ST) or charm (Ch-3-3).

View these and other inspiring pieces from Blue Turtles’ sterling silver Poetic Pieces Collection by requesting a catalogue here.

To find your local stockist, click here.

Thanks to http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/nietzsche/ for information on Nietzsche.