No one should approach the temple of science with the soul of a money changer.
Thomas BrowneRead
All things began in Order, so shall they end, and so shall they begin again, according to the Ordainer of Order, and the mystical mathematicks of the City of Heaven.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that everything starts and ends with a sense of order, reflecting a cyclical nature guided by a higher power.
Thomas Browne's quote reflects on the inherent order and structure that governs the universe. It implies that beginnings and endings are not random but rather part of a divine orchestration, where the 'Ordainer of Order' represents a supreme being who establishes this cosmic order. The mention of 'mystical mathematicks' suggests that there is a profound, almost mathematical certainty to the patterns of existence within the 'City of Heaven,' indicating a belief in divine logic and harmony that pervades all life.
Themes
OrderBeginningsEndingsDivineUniverseCyclicalPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on cosmology, one might quote this to illustrate the structured nature of the universe.
More from Thomas Browne
All quotes βContent may dwell in all stations. To be low but above contempt may be high enough to be happy.
Thomas BrowneRead
Thus there are two books from whence I collect my Divinity; besides that written one of God, another of his servant Nature, that universal and public Manuscript, that lies expans'd unto the eyes of all; those that never saw him in the one, have discovered him in the other.
Thomas BrowneRead
To be content with death may be better than to desire it.
Thomas BrowneRead
Life itself is but the shadow of death, and souls departed but the shadows of the living.
Thomas BrowneRead
The long habit of living indisposeth us for dying.
Thomas BrowneRead
Similar quotes
You must believe in truth that whatever God gives or permits is for your salvation.
St. Catherine Of SienaRead
Riots and comedy are but symptoms of the times, profoundly revealing. They betray the psychological tone, the deep uncertainties....and the striving for something better, plus the fear that nothing would come of it all.
Frank HerbertRead
A typical biography relying upon individuals' notorious memories and the anecdotes they've invented contains a high degree of fiction, yet is considered 'nonfiction.'
Joyce Carol OatesRead
Where does the ego get its energy? The ego feeds off your desire to be something else. You are poor and you want to be rich - the ego is absorbing energy, its life-breath. You are ignorant and you want to become a wise one - the ego is absorbing energy. You are a wretched nobody and you want to become powerful - the ego is absorbing energy.
RajneeshRead
The lives of African-Americans in this country are characterized by violence for most of our history. Much of that violence, at least to some extent, you know, done by the very state that's supposed to protect them.
Ta-Nehisi CoatesRead
One day, Annabel saw the sun and moon in the sky at the same time. The sight filled her with a terror which entirely consumed her and did not leave her until the night closed in catastrophe for she had no instinct for self-preservation if she was confronted by ambiguities.
Angela CarterRead