When you have become God's in the measure he desires, then he himself will bestow you upon others; unless, to your greater glory, he chooses to keep you all to himself.
Saint BasilRead
Now, if you notice how the swan, putting its neck down into the deep water, brings up food for itself from below, then you will discover the wisdom of the Creator, in that He gave it a neck longer than its feet for this reason, that it might, as if lowering a sort of fishing line, procure the food hidden in the deep water.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote illustrates the importance of adaptation and resourcefulness in finding sustenance and wisdom in nature.
Saint Basil's quote reflects on the design of the swan, emphasizing how its elongated neck allows it to access food hidden beneath the water's surface. This observation serves as a metaphor for understanding divine wisdom in creation, suggesting that each creature has unique adaptations that enable it to thrive in its environment. The swan's ability to 'fish' with its neck symbolizes the resourcefulness and ingenuity that can lead to success and fulfillment in life's endeavors.
Themes
WisdomAdaptationNatureResourcefulnessDesign
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture about nature's lessons, one might use this quote to highlight how every creature is engineered for survival.
More from Saint Basil
All quotes →What is there astonishing in the death of a mortal? But we are grieved at his dying before his time. Are we sure that this was not his time? We do not know how to pick and choose what is good for our souls, or how to fix the limits of the life of man.
Saint BasilRead
I heard many discourses which were good for the soul, but I could not discover in the case of any one of the teachers that his life was worthy of his words.
Saint BasilRead
To lovers of the truth, nothing can be put before God and hope in Him.
Saint BasilRead
If every man took only what was sufficient for his needs, leaving the rest to those in want, there would be no rich and no poor.
Saint BasilRead
When someone steals another's clothes, we call them a thief. Should we not give the same name to one who could clothe the naked and does not? The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry; the coat unused in your closet belongs to the one who needs it; the shoes rotting in your closet belong to the one who has no shoes; the money which you hoard up belongs to the poor.
Saint BasilRead
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