Heraclitus, Greek philosopher: “Day by day, what you choose, what you think and what you do is who you become”

The world is not static, nor are we as expressed through the often quoted saying, “no man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man,” by the Greek philosopher Heraclitus.

But this constant flux is not predetermined. While the river may be at the whim of natural forces, its course or flow perhaps even altered in some little way by our passage through it, as sentient beings we are the masters of our own path through life and who we are.

This is expressed in another saying by the weeping philosopher. “Day by day, what you choose, what you think and what you do is who you become.”

“The content of your character is your choice”

When we are born, we are basically a blank canvas upon which a painting will take shape incrementally over the years. Our surroundings and upbringing will play some part in the strokes of the brush, but Heraclitus says that we control the hand holding it and the colors that are chosen.

As with any work of art, one must first think about what will be painted on the canvass for “the soul is dyed the color of its thoughts.” We can create an image of beauty that will be admired or one that others would look upon with disgust.

“Think only on those things that are in line with your principles and can bear the light of day,” Heraclitus advised as “the content of your character is your choice.”

Then step by step we make choices that align with those thoughts and then carry them out to make those thoughts and choices concrete. That will be what the world around us sees.

The painting of who you are will take shape little by little. “Day by day, what you do is who you become. Your integrity is your destiny - it is the light that guides your way.”

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