The Welcome Tree–At the West End Gallery
There is one thing one has to have: either a soul that is cheerful by nature, or a soul made cheerful by work, love, art, and knowledge.
—Friedrich Nietzsche, Genealogy of Morals (1887)
Nietzsche wrote a lot more about cheerfulness than one might expect. Not that I suspect that he himself was a cheerful soul. Maybe he was one of those, as the quote above implies, was made cheerful through work, love, art and nature.
I don’t know and I’m not interested enough right now to explore it any further at the moment. This quote seems to be one that is not verbatim from its source but was instead a compilation of thought.
That, too, doesn’t matter to me at the moment. I just like the quote as it stands, without full context.
It makes me wonder about my own nature and that of many others I know. Do I consider myself one who is cheerful by nature? I don’t believe I am though I have certain aspirations of being naturally cheerful, to not feel the weight of periodic depression or be eternally optimistic. I am not to that point yet and seriously doubt I will ever be there.
Actually, I know I won’t ever be that person. Whatever cheerfulness I possess comes from those potential sources that Nietzsche mentions. I think that holds true for most people, but I can’t say for sure. We all wear masks that sometimes cover our true natures.
I am sure we could go into a whole psychological examination of one another here but let’s save that for our diaries this time.
Instead let us enjoy another song from Chicago that plays into the theme today, as does the painting at the top. This is Make Me Smile. I wasn’t a big Chicago fan when I was younger and they were in their heyday. But we change with time– hopefully and thankfully– and I have become quite a fan over the years.
Redtree Times 
Unlike Nietzsche I think one can find cheer in both nature and in art, love, knowledge … etcetera. then again Nietzsche was often known as a critical person so perhaps (in my opinion) he only saw one side or another … not multiple possibilities. As in art, I can see beauty in many things and they often “make me smile” I think maybe … especially these days it as in tune with left thinkers. As these liberals are often the ones who appreciate art, find pleasure in knowledge and who want a better society for all.
This resonates. What I like about the quote—and about your response to it—is that it quietly removes the moral pressure to be cheerful by nature. Nietzsche’s framing suggests that cheerfulness can be something cultivated rather than possessed, something earned through engagement with life rather than temperament.
Your admission that whatever cheerfulness you have comes from work, love, art, and nature feels honest and widely shared, even if, as you say, we often hide it behind masks. There’s something reassuring in the idea that cheerfulness doesn’t have to mean constant optimism or the absence of melancholy, but can exist alongside weight, effort, and even periodic darkness.
Perhaps the kind of cheer Nietzsche gestures toward isn’t lightness so much as affirmation—the ability to say yes to life as it is, with all its unevenness. In that sense, being “made cheerful” might actually be the more human path.
“One must learn to love. This happens to us in music; but in life we must learn it slowly and painfully. And cheerfulness is the sign of a soul that has learned much.”
– Friedrich Nietzsche, Human All Too Human, §291
Do you think cheerfulness, when it comes this way, is more durable—or even more meaningful—than the kind that seems to come naturally?
That’s a great question. For myself, I tend to believe that hard-earned cheerfulness is more durable. Though the world is pretty dark right now and I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my life and have been going through a lot of health issues this past year (I am now being treated for advanced prostate cancer) I find myself more cheerful and contented than usual. I would like to think that is a result, as Nietzsche points out, of a soul that has learned much. Thanks for the comment and great question!
Thank you so much for sharing that. It is incredibly moving to hear that you feel more contented now, even amidst such a difficult health battle. It brings to mind Nietzsche’s idea of Amor Fati—not just accepting one’s fate, but loving it. It seems your ‘hard-earned’ cheerfulness is exactly what he meant when he said that ‘what does not kill me makes me stronger.’ There is a unique beauty in a soul that can find its own light when the world feels dark. Wishing you continued strength and many more moments of that hard-won contentment.