Avoid doing what you would blame others for doing.
We live not, in reality, on the summit of a solid earth but at the bottom of an ocean of air
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that our perception of reality is shaped by the layers of atmosphere around us, emphasizing the importance of perspective.
Thales' quote reflects on the idea that our existence is not rooted in a singular, fixed reality but rather influenced by the vast and dynamic environment that surrounds us. By comparing the ground we stand on to the bottom of an ocean of air, he highlights the layers of perception and the fluidity of our understanding of the world. It encourages us to consider how our surroundings and the atmosphere we live in shape our experiences and beliefs.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture about the importance of perspective in understanding scientific phenomena.
More from Thales
All quotes βNecessity is the strongest of things, for it rules everything.
Nothing is more active than thought, for it travels over the universe, and nothing is stronger than necessity for all must submit to it.
Hope is the only good that is common to all men; those who have nothing else possess hope still.
Time is the wisest of all things that are; for it brings everything to light.
All things are from water and all things are resolved into water.
Similar quotes
What may appear as truth to one person will often appear as untruth to another person. But that need not worry the seeker. When there is honest effort, it will be realised that what appears to be different truths are like apparently different countless leaves of the same tree.
A strong hatred is the best lamp to bear in our hands as we go over the dark places of life, cutting away the dead things men tell us to revere.
There may not be one Truth - there may be several truths - but saying that is not to say that reality doesn't exist.
To live means to experience-through doing, feeling, thinking. Experience takes place in time, so time is the ultimate scarce resource we have. Over the years, the content of experience will determine the quality of life. Therefore one of the most essential decisions any of us can make is about how one's time is allocated or invested.
I see clearly that the thing the church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful; it needs nearness, proximity. I see the church as a field hospital after battle... The church sometimes has locked itself up in small things, in small-minded rules. The most important thing is the first proclamation: Jesus Christ has saved you.
The individual's life is of importance to none besides himself: the point is whether he wishes to escape from history or give his life for it. History recks nothing of human logic