We Can't Step Into The Same River Twice: A Thought-provoking Quote


If there's a quote from a great thinker that really caught my attention, it is this amazing, thought-provoking piece from Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher. 

"No man could ever step into the river twice for it is not the same river and he is not the same man".

Sounds deep as a river, isn't it? A little mind-bogging and intriguing.  So want does this quote means to you?

From the literal point of view of the quote it means no one can step into the river twice because the river changes its current and people change its views from time to time based on how the environment influences his thoughts. So by the time he steps into the same river, he is not the same man.

Of course there is a deeper meaning behind this popular quote that must be understood. 

Beyond its literal translation, this food-for-thought from a Greek philosopher manifests a deeper life interpretation, a serious pondering that may help change someone's life today.


We can't step into the same river twice

We are being molded by experiences, may it be on a personal level or professional level, we are being influenced by the changes in the environment and its trend. 

As we progress in life, our views changed, our goals and priorities changed. What we gone through in the past might never experienced again because we lived with the lessons and the warnings to never do it again if it didn't bring any good in our lives. 

Failures do not necessarily define who would we become in the future, because we evolved, we progressed, we learned from experiences.

Life revolves. 

Today might be a hard day for us. But tomorrow is another day, another chance to make things happen, another moment to do things right. 

We are being molded with circumstances and with the trend in the surroundings. Our thoughts evolved based on how we interpret life in the present. 

So we are not the same person everyday. Our goals change, our mindset changes based on how we want to live life ahead. Our concept of happiness changes as we go along with our journey. 

We meet people. We get to interact with them. We establish connection. And with them comes another set of experiences, good or bad it will become another life-changing lessons. 

We travel, we go to places, we work, we will encounter events that change us. And these venues offer a different growth and different influences in our existence.

So we are always not the same person everyday as we go along with life. The current changes in our lives and so with the places, circumstances, events, people. Even the day to day struggle. 

The quote of Heraclitus is thought-provoking, but when we analyze its deeper meaning, it gives us something valuable to ponder, that yes, life's circumstances change us and we will never stay in one bad moment. 

Everyday is a new moment to live by. Each day offers a new chance to make things right. And each day is a new beginning to work on the life we deserve.

No one can step into the same river twice, for the current changes and so with us. So enjoy life as it happens and learn from the lessons that circumstances provide everyday. It may not be the kind of out come we desire but at least we're still alive. We can always restart and reconstruct failed dreams.

For us to progress in life, we need to embrace change, we need to accept our failures, learn from it and move forward. We cannot stay in the same corner because things change. And so with us.

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