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There is nothing permanent except change.
Heraclitus
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Change is the only constant in life.

This quote by Heraclitus emphasizes that change is an inevitable aspect of existence. It suggests that nothing in life is fixed or stable, and we must embrace the reality of continual transformation in our personal and collective experiences.

Themes

ChangePermanenceTransformationLifeInevitability

In practice

Example use cases

In a motivational talk about personal growth, one might use this quote to encourage embracing change.

More from Heraclitus

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.
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Thinking is a sacred disease and sight is deceptive.
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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: “Living 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."
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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.
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