Zoroaster — "I declare the truth to all who will listen."
I declare the truth to all who will listen.
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More from Zoroaster
"Indeed, I shall speak forth concerning this world’s two spirits, of which the one is good, the other evil, as to thought, as to word, as to deed. Between these two, the discerning have chosen aright, …"
"Through the best righteousness, we shall see Thee, O Mazda, and through the best thought, we shall approach Thee."
"To thee, Ahura Mazda, and to Asha (Truth) and Vohu Manah (Good Mind), I dedicate my life, my body, and my soul."
"I counsel you to always choose the better way. Unless the better way involves a really steep hill. Then, maybe consider a detour."
"By Your fire, O Ahura Mazda, by Your truth, for its shining power, for its fiery glow, for its burning heat, we shall distinguish the upright from the wicked."
About Zoroaster (c. 1500-1000 BCE (debated))
Iranian prophet who founded Zoroastrianism, the first major religion of cosmic dualism between good (Ahura Mazda) and evil (Angra Mainyu). Closely associated with The Buddha (near-contemporary Eastern moral-cosmological revolutionary). For an intellectual contrast, see Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher of 'beyond good and evil' — Nietzsche appropriated Zarathustra's name for Thus Spoke Zarathustra (1883) precisely to invert the original's moral cosmology — the historical Zoroaster founded the good-versus-evil framework Nietzsche's character announces the end of.
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Understanding this quote
What it means
The speaker commits to sharing honest understanding openly with anyone willing to hear it. There is no demand, no coercion, no private gatekeeping of wisdom. The offer stands to all, but the listener must choose to engage. Truth is treated as something to be proclaimed publicly rather than hoarded, and responsibility shifts to the audience to actually pay attention and weigh what is said.
Relevance to Zoroaster
Zoroaster positioned himself as a prophet delivering revelation from Ahura Mazda, the single wise god, after rejecting the polytheistic priesthood he was trained in. His Gathas, the hymns attributed to him, repeatedly address seekers directly and invite free moral choice between truth (asha) and the lie (druj). Declaring truth openly fits his role as a reformer preaching to whoever would listen, often against hostile traditional clergy.
The era
Zoroaster lived in ancient Iran, likely between roughly 1500 and 1000 BCE, among pastoral Indo-Iranian tribes worshipping many gods through ritual sacrifice run by a hereditary priesthood. Literacy was rare and teachings passed orally. Proposing one supreme god of truth and a personal ethical choice was radical and drew persecution. Public proclamation to any listener bypassed the closed priestly class and spread the reform across tribal and later Persian imperial society.
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