The worm is another key symbol. Nietzsche is riffing on the expression “even the trodden worm will turn,” which means that even the meekest creature (the worm) will fight back if it’s pushed around enough. Nietzsche tweaks the saying to suggest that the trodden worm actually “will curl up” and become
meeker to protect itself against future harm—in other words, it humbles itself as an act of self-preservation. Nietzsche thinks that conventional morality (and Christian morality in particular) weaponizes humility. Morality likes to pretend that humility is a positive, virtuous trait to have—when in reality, morality preaches humility to keep people meek, subservient, and in need of a moral authority to guide them. The other Maxims in this section further hint at the book’s central themes of rethinking and destroying old, problematic morals/ideals, the counterintuitive or hypocritical aspects of morality, and the false claim that “immoralists” are bad for humanity.