Good character is not formed in a week or a month. It is created little by little, day by day. Protracted and patient effort is needed to develop good character.
HeraclitusRead
The Cosmos was not made by gods but always was and is eternal fire.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The cosmos is a timeless entity, not created by divine beings but is a manifestation of eternal processes.
Heraclitus suggests that the universe, or cosmos, is not a product of gods or specific creation events but rather a continuous existence characterized by change and transformation, symbolized here as 'eternal fire.' This reflects his broader philosophical view of the constant state of flux and the unity of opposites in nature, emphasizing that what is real is always in a state of becoming rather than static being.
Themes
CosmosEternalChangePhilosophyFire
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture about ancient philosophy, I would reference this quote to discuss views on the nature of the universe.
More from Heraclitus
All quotes βThinking is a sacred disease and sight is deceptive.
HeraclitusRead
Things of which there is sight, hearing, apprehension, these I prefer.
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Our envy always lasts longer than the happiness of those we envy.
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For when is death not within our selves? And as Heracleitus says: βLiving and dead are the same, and so are awake and asleep, young and old. The former when shifted are the latter, and again the latter when shifted are the former."
HeraclitusRead
Whosoever wishes to know about the world must learn about it in its particular details. Knowledge is not intelligence. In searching for the truth be ready for the unexpected. Change alone is unchanging. The same road goes both up and down. The beginning of a circle is also its end. Not I, but the world says it: all is one. And yet everything comes in season.
HeraclitusRead
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