Why Do You Write? “Because I Must!”

Why Do You Write

In the following excerpt from Friedrich Nietzsche’s book, The Gay Science, character A and B are in a dialogue about why character A writes.

In this dialogue, A represents Nietzsche himself, and B represents a curious individual:

“A: I am annoyed by and ashamed of my writing; writing is for me a pressing and embarrassing need, and to speak of it even in a parable disgusts me.

B: But why, then, do you write?

A: Well, my friend, to be quite frank: so far, I have not discovered any other way of getting rid of my thoughts.

B: And why do you want to get rid of them?

A: Why I want to? Do I want to? I must.

B: Enough! Enough!”

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