[1]
[Footnote 1: If the professors of philosophy should chance to think
that I am here hinting at them and the tactics they have for more than
thirty years pursued toward my works, they have hit the nail upon the
head.]
This being so, it is a prime condition for doing any great work--any
work which is to outlive its own age, that a man pay no heed to his
contemporaries, their views and opinions, and the praise or blame
which they bestow. This condition is, however, fulfilled of itself
when a man really does anything great, and it is fortunate that it is
so. For if, in producing such a work, he were to look to the general
opinion or the judgment of his colleagues, they would lead him astray
at every step. Hence, if a man wants to go down to posterity, he must
withdraw from the influence of his own age. This will, of course,
generally mean that he must also renounce any influence upon it, and
be ready to buy centuries of fame by foregoing the applause of his
contemporaries.
For when any new and wide-reaching truth comes into the world--and if
it is new, it must be paradoxical--an obstinate stand will be made
against it as long as possible; nay, people will continue to deny it
even after they slacken their opposition and are almost convinced of
its truth.
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