Nothing is more durable than the dynasty of Doubt; for he reigns in the hearts of all his people, but gives satisfaction to none of them, and yet he is the only despot who can never die, while any of his subjects live.
Charles Caleb ColtonRead
Time is the most undefinable yet paradoxical of things; the past is gone, the future is not come, and the present becomes the past, even while we attempt to define it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Time is elusive and continuously changing, making it hard to grasp conceptually.
This quote reflects on the nature of time, emphasizing its paradoxical qualities. It suggests that while we often try to define or categorize time, it slips away from us; the past is already behind, the future is uncertain, and what we perceive as the present is constantly transitioning into the past. This highlights the fleeting and definitional challenge of time as we experience it.
Themes
TimePhilosophyPresentPastFutureElusiveParadoxical
In practice
Example use cases
During a philosophy class discussion about the nature of time.
More from Charles Caleb Colton
All quotes →It is astonishing how much more people are interested in lengthening life than improving it.
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The benevolent have the advantage of the envious, even in this present life; for the envious man is tormented not only by all the ill that befalls himself, but by all the good that happens to another; whereas the benevolent man is the better prepared to bear his own calamities unruffled, from the complacency and serenity he has secured from contemplating the prosperity of all around him.
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Happiness, that grand mistress of the ceremonies in the dance of life, impels us through all its mazes and meanderings, but leads none of us by the same route.
Charles Caleb ColtonRead
Our minds are as different as our faces. We are all traveling to one destination: happiness, but few are going by the same road.
Charles Caleb ColtonRead
Moderation is the inseparable companion of wisdom, but with it genius has not even a nodding acquaintance.
Charles Caleb ColtonRead
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