Heraclitus

Heraclitus of Ephesus (Ancient Greek: Ἡράκλειτος ὁ Ἐφέσιος — Hērákleitos ho Ephésios; c. 535–c. 475 BCE) was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher, a native of the Greek city Ephesus, Ionia, on the coast of Asia Minor. 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 riddling nature of his philosophy and his contempt for humankind in general, he was called "The Obscure" and the "Weeping Philosopher".


Heraclitus is famous for his doctrine of change being central to the universe, as stated in his famous saying, "You cannot step twice into the same stream". He believed in the unity of opposites, stating that "the path up and down are one and the same", existing things being characterized by pairs of contrary properties, and other explorations of the concept of dualism. His cryptic utterance that "all things come to be in accordance with this Logos" (literally, "word", "reason", or "account") has been the subject of numerous interpretations.


Extract text taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heraclitus


Some quotes:

- Everything flows, nothing stands still.

- Nothing endures but change.
 
- You could not step twice into the same river; for other waters are ever flowing on to you.
 
- The road up and the road down is one and the same.
 
- Even sleepers are workers and collaborators on what goes on in the universe.
 
- Opposition brings concord. Out of discord comes the fairest harmony.
 
 
Taken from here: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Heraclitus
 
 
More info about Heraclitus:
 
 
The Fragments
http://www.heraclitusfragments.com/
http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Heraclitus/
 
Bios & Info
 
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/heraclitus/
http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/phil/philo/phils/heraclitus.html
http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/GREECE/HERAC.HTM
http://faculty.washington.edu/smcohen/320/heracli.htm
http://community.middlebury.edu/~harris/Philosophy/heraclitus.pdf