Vitality and beauty are gifts of Nature for those who live according to its laws.
Leonardo Da VinciRead
Men wrongly lament the flight of time, blaming it for being too swift; they do not perceive that its passage is sufficiently long, but a good memory, which nature has given to us, causes things long past to seem present.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Time is often perceived as fleeting, but our memories give the illusion that it passes quickly.
In this quote, Da Vinci reflects on the nature of time and memory. He suggests that while people often complain about how quickly time seems to pass, the real issue lies in how our minds conjure memories that make past moments feel vivid and immediate. Instead of merely blaming time for its swift passage, individuals should recognize the role of memory in shaping our perception of time.
Themes
TimeMemoryPerceptionNostalgiaWisdom
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of cherishing memories, you might say, 'As Leonardo Da Vinci pointed out, time itself is not to blame for its flight; rather, it's our memories that make us feel the swiftness of time.'
More from Leonardo Da Vinci
All quotes →Small rooms or dwellings set the mind in the right path, large ones cause it to go astray.
Leonardo Da VinciRead
Patience serves us against insults precisely as clothes do against the cold. For if you multiply your garments as the cold increases, that cold cannot hurt you; in the same way increase your patience under great offenses, and they cannot hurt your feelings.
Leonardo Da VinciRead
The smallest feline is a masterpiece.
Leonardo Da VinciRead
For, verily, great love springs from great knowledge of the beloved object, and if you little know it, you will be able to love it only little or not at all.
Leonardo Da VinciRead
It is a far worthier thing to read by the light of experience than to adorn oneself with the labors of others.
Leonardo Da VinciRead
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