I am what libraries and librarians have made me, with little assistance from a professor of Greek and poets.
Meaning of the quote
Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher, said that the libraries and librarians have shaped who he is more than the professors of Greek or poets. This means that he learned and grew more from the books and people who work in libraries than from the experts on the Greek language and literature. He is grateful for the knowledge and guidance he gained from the libraries and librarians rather than from the traditional academic sources.
About Heraclitus
Heraclitus was an ancient Greek philosopher known for his paradoxical philosophy and views on the unity of opposites and the concept of constant change. He is considered a significant figure in the history of Western philosophy, influencing thinkers like Plato, Aristotle, and Hegel.
More quotes from Heraclitus
Men who wish to know about the world must learn about it in its particular details.
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It is hard to contend against one’s heart’s desire; for whatever it wishes to have it buys at the cost of soul.
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The way up and the way down are one and the same.
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If you do not the expect the unexpected you will not find it, for it is not to be reached by search or trail.
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Big results require big ambitions.
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The best people renounce all for one goal, the eternal fame of mortals; but most people stuff themselves like cattle.
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The sun is new each day.
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Hide our ignorance as we will, an evening of wine soon reveals it.
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Nothing endures but change.
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God is day and night, winter and summer, war and peace, surfeit and hunger.
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There is nothing permanent except change.
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Couples are wholes and not wholes, what agrees disagrees, the concordant is discordant. From all things one and from one all things.
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No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.
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Character is destiny.
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Even sleepers are workers and collaborators in what goes on in the Universe.
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Nature is wont to hide herself.
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Much learning does not teach understanding.
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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.
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Man is most nearly himself when he achieves the seriousness of a child at play.
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Opposition brings concord. Out of discord comes the fairest harmony.
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I am what libraries and librarians have made me, with little assistance from a professor of Greek and poets.
Greek philosopher
Corpses are more fit to be thrown out than is dung.
Greek philosopher
Deliberate violence is more to be quenched than a fire.
Greek philosopher
A man’s character is his guardian divinity.
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The chain of wedlock is so heavy that it takes two to carry it – and sometimes three.
Greek philosopher
The eyes are more exact witnesses than the ears.
Greek philosopher
Justice will overtake fabricators of lies and false witnesses.
Greek philosopher
To God everything is beautiful, good, and just; humans, however, think some things are unjust and others just.
Greek philosopher
No one that encounters prosperity does not also encounter danger.
Greek philosopher
Bigotry is the sacred disease.
Greek philosopher
Change alone is unchanging.
Greek philosopher
You could not step twice into the same rivers; for other waters are ever flowing on to you.
Greek philosopher
Our envy always lasts longer than the happiness of those we envy.
Greek philosopher
You cannot step into the same river twice.
Greek philosopher
A man’s character is his fate.
Greek philosopher
Eyes and ears are poor witnesses to people if they have uncultured souls.
Greek philosopher
To do the same thing over and over again is not only boredom: it is to be controlled by rather than to control what you do.
Greek philosopher