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
It is difficult to fight against anger; for a man will buy revenge with his soul.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Anger can consume a person, leading to destructive behaviors that ultimately harm the individual more than the target of their anger.
This quote by Heraclitus highlights the internal struggle of managing anger and the detrimental consequences of allowing it to take control. It suggests that the pursuit of revenge can be so consuming that it jeopardizes one's own well-being and integrity, implying that fighting against this emotion is both challenging and critical for personal peace.
Themes
AngerRevengeWisdomControlSoul
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on emotional intelligence, one might use this quote to emphasize the need for self-control.
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.
HeraclitusRead
Our envy always lasts longer than the happiness of those we envy.
HeraclitusRead
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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If you would listen, sir, in the sense of being aware of your conflicts and contradictions without forcing them into any particular pattern of thought, perhaps they might altogether cease.
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