The hunter for aphorisms on human nature has to fish in muddy water, and he is even condemned to find much of his own mind.
F. H. BradleyRead
The cost of a thing is what I call life which has to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The value of something is measured by the life energy one must spend to obtain it.
In this quote, F. H. Bradley emphasizes that every possession or experience has a price, not merely in monetary terms but in the life and effort one must invest to attain it. This perspective highlights the intrinsic value of time and energy, suggesting that our choices reflect how we allocate our most precious resourceβour lives.
Themes
ValueLifeExchangeCostPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about work-life balance.
More from F. H. Bradley
All quotes βWhere everything is bad it must be good to know the worst.
F. H. BradleyRead
The secret of happiness is to admire without desiring. And that is not happiness.
F. H. BradleyRead
True penitence condemns to silence. What a man is ready to recall he would be willing to repeat.
F. H. BradleyRead
Our live experiences, fixed in aphorisms, stiffen into cold epigrams. Our heart's blood, as we write it, turns to mere dull ink.
F. H. BradleyRead
Metaphysics is the finding of bad reasons for what we believe on instinct.
F. H. BradleyRead
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In my death, people will understand what I was talking about.
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