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.
HeraclitusRead
This universe, which is the same for all, has not been made by any god or man, but it always has been, is, and will be an ever-living fire, kindling itself by regular measures and going out by regular measures.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that the universe operates through natural laws rather than divine or human influence, constantly changing yet eternal.
Heraclitus emphasizes the idea that the universe is not a creation of a deity or a human, but rather a perpetual state of transformation and balance. He uses the metaphor of an ever-living fire to illustrate how existence continuously renews itself, highlighting the rhythm of creation and destruction that governs the cosmos. This perspective encourages a recognition of the interconnectedness of all things and the natural cycles that sustain life.
Themes
UniverseChangeEternityNaturePhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture on the nature of existence, one might refer to this quote to illustrate the philosophical perspective on change.
More from Heraclitus
All quotes →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."
HeraclitusRead
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.
HeraclitusRead
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