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
Man is most nearly himself when he achieves the seriousness of a child at play.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True self-expression is found in the purity and joy of play, reminiscent of a child's seriousness.
This quote by Heraclitus suggests that individuals reach their most authentic state when they embrace the deep focus and joy found in play. It implies that the innocence and seriousness with which a child approaches play can teach adults about genuine engagement and the essence of their true selves, often overshadowed by the complexities of adult life.
Themes
PlaySeriousnessAuthenticityChildhoodJoy
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about finding joy in life during challenging times.
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
Similar quotes
There is no fate that cannot be surmounted by scorn.
Albert CamusRead
But curb thou the high spirit in thy breast, for gentle ways are best, and keep aloof from sharp contentions.
HomerRead
The way towards 'wisdom' or towards 'freedom' is the way towards your inner being. This is the simplest definition of metaphysics.
Mircea EliadeRead
I've found time can heal most anything and you just might find who you're supposed to be.
Taylor SwiftRead
Much of the stress that people feel doesn't come from having too much to do. It comes from not finishing what they've started.
David AllenRead
A man ceases to be a beginner in any given science and becomes a master in that science when he has learned that... he is going to be a beginner all his life.
Robin G. CollingwoodRead