Heraclitus Quotes

Heraclitus of Ephesus (/ˌhɛrəˈklaɪtəs/; Greek: Ἡράκλειτος ὁ Ἐφέσιος, translit. Hērákleitos ho Ephésios; c. 535 – c. 475 BCE) was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher, and a native of the city of Ephesus, then part of the Persian Empire. 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 apparently riddled and allegedly paradoxical nature of his philosophy and his stress upon the heedless unconsciousness of humankind, he was called "The Obscure" and the "Weeping Philosopher".

What we have caught and what we have killed we have left behind, but what has escaped us we bring with us.

Heraclitus
- Killed
- Caught
- Escaped
The people should fight for the law as for their city wall.

Heraclitus
- People
- Fight
- City Wall

Men who are lovers of wisdom [i.e., philosophers] must be inquirers into many things.

Heraclitus
- Men
- Wisdom
- Lovers
Religion is a disease, but it is a noble disease.

Heraclitus
- Religion
- Disease
- Noble
War is the father of all things.

Heraclitus
- War
- Father
- All Things
The only constant is change.

Heraclitus
- Change
- Constant
Much learning does not teach sense.

Heraclitus
- Learning
- Teach
- Sense
Justice will overtake fabricators of lies and false witnesses.

Heraclitus
- Justice
- Lies
- False

Day by day, what you do is who you become.

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

Heraclitus
- Soul
- Desire
- Wishes
Nothing is constant except change.

Heraclitus
- Change
- Nothing
- Constant
I see nothing but Becoming. Be not deceived! It is the fault of your limited outlook and not the fault of the essence of things if you believe that you see firm land anywhere in the ocean of Becoming and Passing. You need names for things, just as if they had a rigid permanence, but the very river in which you bathe a second time is no longer the same one which you entered before.

Heraclitus
- Ocean
- Fault
- Passing
War is the father and king of all: some he has made gods, and some men; some slaves and some free.

Heraclitus
- Father
- King
- Slaves
There is nothing permanent except change. Nothing is permanent except change. The only constant is change. Change is the only constant. Change alone is unchanging.

Heraclitus
- Change
- Constant
- Except

Even a soul submerged in sleep is hard at work and helps make something of the world.

Heraclitus
- World
- Work
- Soul
History is a child building a sand-castle by the sea, and that child is the whole majesty of man's power in the world.

Heraclitus
- Power
- History
- Child
Many who have learned from Hesiod the countless names of gods and monsters never understand that night and day are one.

Heraclitus
- Understand
- Learned
- Gods
The path up and down is one and the same.

Heraclitus
- Path
- Journey
- Same
Unless you expect the unexpected you will never find it, for it is hard to discover and hard to attain.

Heraclitus
- Discover
- Expect
- Find It
If it were not for injustice, men would not know justice.

Heraclitus
- Men
- Justice
- Injustice

It is in changing that things find purpose.

Heraclitus
- Purpose
- Changing
People ought to fight to keep their law as to defend the city s walls.

Heraclitus
- People
- Law
- Fight
Those who approach life like a child playing a game, moving and pushing pieces, possess the power of kings.

Heraclitus
- Life
- Power
- Game
The only thing constant is change.

Heraclitus
- Change
- Constant