Nietzsche didn't make me think; rather, I'd argue that his diseased and angry worldview can be discounted by inspection.

Nietzsche was optimistic, or at least trying for optimism. He has a reputation for nihilism, but he was really trying to offer an alternative to nihilism. The quote from The Gay Science everyone knows means something different in context

God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives: who will wipe this blood off us? What water is there for us to clean ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we have to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we ourselves not become gods simply to appear worthy of it?

Nietzsche started out wanting to be a minister, becoming an atheist was hard on him, but he didn't think Christianity worked in the modern world. He was trying to break with tradition that couldn't work anymore, and figure out what could replace it. Looking at the harm people clinging to tradition and trying to force the rest of us to as well have done and keep doing, I say we could have used a few more Nietzsches. That said, I meet more people who have gotten "hooray for being an asshole" from Nietzsche than anything worthwhile, so all the aphorisms and bombast might have been counterproductive.