Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

He was one of the most original thinkers of the 19th century. As a German philosopher, poet, and philologist, he shook European thought: he relentlessly questioned religion, morality, and inherited values, and developed the ideas of the Übermensch and the will to power. He wrote provocatively, often in aphorisms, and had a profound influence on literature, psychology, and art. He spent his final years in illness and isolation, and true recognition came only after his death.