To paraphrase Lincoln telling a fable: A king asked his philosophers to present to him a sentence that would be true at all times in any situation both done and to come . The sentence they composed, “And this, too, shall pass away”
To Remember
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I first heard a quote like that in a similar story, except it was the king who asked his subjects for the sentence that would fit on a ring. The answer was this too will pass.
It also echos Og Mandino’s The Greatest Salesman in the World. There is a scroll that emphasizes, “This too shall pass.”
If you are in the dumps, like many are in this day and age, it is an incredible mantra to live by, and true on so many levels.
Thanks for reminding me Ryan.
See that’s what I was trying to point out. It’s supposed to work for EVERY situation. The interesting thing is is how popular usage of the phrase has been limited only to resigning yourself to accepting bad things. The reason it’s profound and deeply a stoic idea is that it works everywhere, good or bad, disappointed or congratulatory.
I heard the ring story years ago, but for some reason I thought the story was about a Scandinavian king; Wikipedia says it’s King Solomon. Nevertheless, the mantra has always stuck with me as something to hold myself to – encouraging humility in success and perseverance through pain.
Although I’ve been reading this blog for quite a while, this is the first post that’s stirred me to comment. Spot on again Ryan, keep up the good work.
I have been thinking about this a lot lately. It’s definately a shame the modern interpretation is confined to simply bad things. I think this might even point to our generation’s (and possibly some of your readers) understanding of stoic ideas. They seem to believe that it is all about not letting misfortune affect you. However, they fail to notice that you can not let successes affect you either. I know you have touched on this a little quite a while back, but I think it’s a pretty important aspect that people are missing.
The Buddhist Law of Impermanence. Good call.
The book of Ecclesiastes:
“If times are bad, take heart, this too shall pass, if times are good, enjoy them but be sober, it’s time too shall pass.”
Well worth reading the whole book even if you aren’t a christian. It’s packed with wisdom.