Weekend Wise Words

Be Sharp! Be Brilliant!

My son who is in his twenties, has taken a shine to the writings of Heraclitus. And so for this weekend, I give you, Heraclitus:

Heraclitus by Johannes Moreelse

"Man is most nearly himself when he achieves the seriousness of a child at play."

"Men who wish to know about the world must learn about it in its particular details."

Ephesus on the coast of Asia Minor, birthplace of Heraclitus

"If you do not the expect the unexpected you will not find it, for it is not to be reached by search or trail."

"It is hard to contend against one's heart's desire; for whatever it wishes to have it buys at the cost of soul.

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Heraclitus by Hendrick ter Brugghen

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‎"Bigotry is the sacred disease."

"A man's character is his fate."

Heraclitus of Ephesus (Ancient Greek: Ἡράκλειτος ὁ Ἐφέσιος — Hērákleitos ho Ephésios; c. 535–c. 475 BCE) was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher, a native of the Greek city Ephesus, Ionia, on the coast of Asia Minor. He was of distinguished parentage. Little is known about his early life and education, but he regarded himself as self-taught and a pioneer of wisdom. From the lonely life he led, and still more from the riddling nature of his philosophy and his contempt for humankind in general, he was called "The Obscure" and the "Weeping Philosopher".

"Heraclitus is famous for his doctrine of change being central to the universe, as stated in his famous saying:

"You cannot step twice into the same stream".

"He believed in the unity of opposites, stating that "the path up and down are one and the same", existing things being characterized by pairs of contrary properties, and other explorations of the concept of dualism. His cryptic utterance that "all things come to be in accordance with this Logos" (literally, "word", "reason", or "account") has been the subject of numerous interpretations." - Wikipedia