Avoid doing what you would blame others for doing.
ThalesRead
We live not, in reality, on the summit of a solid earth but at the bottom of an ocean of air
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that our perception of reality is shaped by the layers of atmosphere around us, emphasizing the importance of perspective.
Thales' quote reflects on the idea that our existence is not rooted in a singular, fixed reality but rather influenced by the vast and dynamic environment that surrounds us. By comparing the ground we stand on to the bottom of an ocean of air, he highlights the layers of perception and the fluidity of our understanding of the world. It encourages us to consider how our surroundings and the atmosphere we live in shape our experiences and beliefs.
Themes
RealityPerceptionEnvironmentPerspectiveAtmosphere
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture about the importance of perspective in understanding scientific phenomena.
More from Thales
All quotes →Necessity is the strongest of things, for it rules everything.
ThalesRead
Nothing is more active than thought, for it travels over the universe, and nothing is stronger than necessity for all must submit to it.
ThalesRead
Hope is the only good that is common to all men; those who have nothing else possess hope still.
ThalesRead
Time is the wisest of all things that are; for it brings everything to light.
ThalesRead
All things are from water and all things are resolved into water.
ThalesRead
Similar quotes
The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men.
Alice WalkerRead
If we do wrong and no harm comes of it, we are not thereby justified. If we did evil and good came of it, the evil would be just as evil. It is not the result of the action, but the action itself which God weighs.
Charles SpurgeonRead
Stories have no point if they don't absorb our terror.
Don DelilloRead
Human nature is pretty well balanced; for every lacking virtue there is a rough substitute that will serve at a pinch--as cunning is the wisdom of the unwise, and ferocity the courage of the coward.
Ambrose BierceRead
When I was fifteen, all I wanted was to go off to some other world, a place beyond anybody’s reach. A place beyond the flow of time.” - But there’s no place like that in this world. - Exactly. Which is why I’m living here, in this world where things are continually damaged, where the heart is fickle, where time flows past without a break.
Haruki MurakamiRead
The challenge is to lend conviction even to the voices which advocate views I find personally abhorrent, whether they are political Islamists or officers justifying a coup.
Orhan PamukRead