--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The stream of Time, irresistible, ever…" description: "\"“The stream of Time, irresistible, ever moving, carries off and bears away all things that come to birth and plunges them into utter darkness, both dee..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50d/anna-comnena-70382_history_the-stream-of-time-irresistible-ever-mov_1332809.jpg" --- # The stream of Time, irresistible, ever moving, carries off… ![“The stream of Time, irresistible, ever moving, carries off and bears away all things that come to birth and plunges them into utter darkness, both deeds of no account and deeds which are mighty and worthy of commemoration; as the playwright [Sophocles] says, it 'brings to light that which was…” quote by Anna Comnena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50d/anna-comnena-70382_history_the-stream-of-time-irresistible-ever-mov_1332809.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50d/anna-comnena-70382_history_the-stream-of-time-irresistible-ever-mov_1332809.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50d/anna-comnena-70382_history_the-stream-of-time-irresistible-ever-mov_1332809.jpg) > ““The stream of Time, irresistible, ever moving, carries off and bears away all things that come to birth and plunges them into utter darkness, both deeds of no account and deeds which are mighty and worthy of commemoration; as the playwright \[Sophocles\] says, it 'brings to light that which was unseen and shrouds from us that which was manifest.' Nevertheless, the science of History is a great bulwark against this stream of Time; in a way it checks this irresistible flood, it holds in a tight grasp whatever it can seize floating on the surface and will not allow it to slip away into the depths of Oblivion. ...I, having realized the effects wrought by Time, desire now by means of my writings to give an account of my father's deeds, which do not deserve to be consigned to Forgetfulness nor to be swept away on the flood of Time into an ocean of Non-Remembrance; I wish to recall everything…”” Anna Comnena ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. History attempts to resist time’s erasure by recording deeds, preserving memory against oblivion. **In simple terms:** Writing preserves memory against forgetting. Key Takeaway Document important events to combat forgetfulness. Themes memory history legacy time preservation Mood reflective serious Type historical philosophical When to use this quote - family memoir - national history - personal legacy - academic research Key Concepts historical record collective memory mortality Questions to Reflect On - What stories are we choosing to remember? - How does recording influence what we value? A Different Perspective Historical accounts can be biased, shaping memory selectively. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Nostalgia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nostalgia/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) ## Related quotes > [Time is a kind of river, an irresistible flood sweeping up men and events and carrying them headlong, one after the other, to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/time-is-a-kind-of-river-an-irresistible-flood-sweeping-up-men-and/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [Time in its irresistible and ceaseless flow carries along on its flood all created things and drowns them in the depths of obscurity. .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-komnene/time-in-its-irresistible-and-ceaseless-flow-carries-along-on-its-2/) Anna Komnene > [“For certainly old age has a great sense of calm and freedom; when the passions relax their hold, then, as Sophocles says, we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/for-certainly-old-age-has-a-great-sense-of-calm-and-freedom-when-the/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [In his writings, Patton was shameless about his ambition to woo Lena to be his bride. 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But just because love is beautiful, does not mean that its always happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryaj-ablando-catayas/the-writings-with-love-is-always-beautiful-but-just-because-love-is/) [Ryaj Ablando Catayas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryaj-ablando-catayas/) > [“Mwandishi lazima awe msomaji wa kila aina ya maandishi anayoweza kusoma. Akipanua upeo wake namna hiyo, kila atakachoandika kitaacha nukuu.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enock-maregesi/mwandishi-lazima-awe-msomaji-wa-kila-aina-ya-maandishi-anayoweza/) [Enock Maregesi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enock-maregesi/) > [He writes nothing whose writings are not read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martial/he-writes-nothing-whose-writings-are-not-read/) [Martial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martial/) ## More by Anna Comnena > [“It is extraordinary that nobody nowadays under the stress of great troubles is turned into stone or a bird or a tree or some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-comnena/it-is-extraordinary-that-nobody-nowadays-under-the-stress-of-great/) Anna Comnena > [“Even now I cannot believe that I am still alive and writing this account of the emperor's death. I put my hands to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-comnena/even-now-i-cannot-believe-that-i-am-still-alive-and-writing-this/) Anna Comnena > [“For they do not look through to the soul, nor have a keen eye for virtue, but they stop at the outward excellencies of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-comnena/for-they-do-not-look-through-to-the-soul-nor-have-a-keen-eye-for/) Anna Comnena Explore all 4 Anna Comnena quotes ## More History quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. 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Nevertheless, the science of History is a great bulwark against this stream of Time; in a way it checks this irresistible flood, it holds in a tight grasp whatever it can seize floating on the surface and will not allow it to slip away into the depths of Oblivion. ...I, having realized the effects wrought by Time, desire now by means of my writings to give an account of my father's deeds, which do not deserve to be consigned to Forgetfulness nor to be swept away on the flood of Time into an ocean of Non-Remembrance; I wish to recall everything…”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anna Comnena" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-comnena/the-stream-of-time-irresistible-ever-moving-carries-off-and-bears/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "History" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-comnena/the-stream-of-time-irresistible-ever-moving-carries-off-and-bears/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50d/anna-comnena-70382_history_the-stream-of-time-irresistible-ever-mov_1332809.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50d/anna-comnena-70382_history_the-stream-of-time-irresistible-ever-mov_1332809.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50d/anna-comnena-70382_history_the-stream-of-time-irresistible-ever-mov_1332809.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The stream of Time, irresistible, ever moving, carries off and bears away all things that come to birth and…” — Anna Comnena", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Anna Comnena", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-comnena/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The stream of Time, irresistible, ever...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-comnena/the-stream-of-time-irresistible-ever-moving-carries-off-and-bears/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-comnena/the-stream-of-time-irresistible-ever-moving-carries-off-and-bears/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```