There are forces in nature called Love and Hate. The force of Love causes elements to be attracted to each other and to be built up into some particular form or person, and the force of Hate causes the decomposition of things.
EmpedoclesRead
For before this I was born once a boy, and a maiden, and a plant, and a bird, and a darting fish in the sea.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the interconnectedness of all forms of life and existence.
Empedocles highlights the concept of reincarnation and the cyclical nature of life. He suggests that all living beings, whether human, animal, or plant, share a common essence and experience multiple forms of existence throughout their lives, emphasizing the unity and interdependence of all life in the universe.
Themes
ReincarnationInterconnectednessExistenceLifeNature
In practice
Example use cases
During a philosophical discussion on nature and life, I shared this quote to illustrate the cycle of existence.
More from Empedocles
All quotes βAt one time through love all things come together into one, at another time through strife s hatred, they are borne each of them apart.
EmpedoclesRead
Iris from sea brings wind or mighty rain.
EmpedoclesRead
The force that unites the elements to become all things is Love, also called Aphrodite; Love brings together dissimilar elements into a unity, to become a composite thing. Love is the same force that human beings find at work in themselves whenever they feel joy, love and peace. Strife, on the other hand, is the force responsible for the dissolution of the one back into its many, the four elements of which it was composed.
EmpedoclesRead
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