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
Our envy always lasts longer than the happiness of those we envy.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Envy can persist far longer than any fleeting happiness we perceive in others.
This quote by Heraclitus highlights the destructive nature of envy, suggesting that the bitterness we feel towards others for their fortunes can endure much longer than our fleeting perceptions of their happiness. It encourages us to reflect on the emotional toll of envy and to seek inner contentment rather than dwelling on the perceived successes of others.
Themes
EnvyHappinessWisdomPerceptionUnhappiness
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about personal growth, one might say, 'Remember, our envy always lasts longer than the happiness of those we envy, so focus on your own journey.'
More from Heraclitus
All quotes βThinking is a sacred disease and sight is deceptive.
HeraclitusRead
Things of which there is sight, hearing, apprehension, these I prefer.
HeraclitusRead
For when is death not within our selves? And as Heracleitus says: βLiving 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
Man is most nearly himself when he achieves the seriousness of a child at play.
HeraclitusRead
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