Beast Quote by Archilochus
“Nothing can be surprising any more or impossible or miraculous, now that Zeus, father of the Olympians has made night out of noonday, hiding the bright sunlight, and... fear has come upon mankind. After this, men can believe anything, expect anything. Don't any of you be surprised in future if land beasts change places with dolphins and go to live in their salty pastures, and get to like the sounding waves of the sea more than the land, while the dolphins prefer the mountains.”
About This Quote
Source Poem: Fragmentary lyric, 7th century BC, Greek lyric poetry
Divine chaos overturns natural order, making the extraordinary seem normal and eroding trust in reality.
In simple terms: Gods can flip reality, making the unbelievable ordinary.
Key Takeaway
Remain skeptical of sudden, inexplicable changes.
Themes
mythology
chaos
trust
reality
skepticism
Mood
cautious
curious
Type
philosophical
critical
When to use this quote
- political upheaval
- technological disruption
- cultural shifts
- environmental change
Key Concepts
cosmology
philosophy
mythic narrative
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you differentiate myth from reality?
- What signs indicate a reality shift?
A Different Perspective
Blind acceptance of the bizarre can undermine critical thinking.
![“No visiting angel, or explorer from another planet, could have guessed that this bland orb [Earth] teemed with vermin, with world-mastering, self-torturing, incipiently angelic beasts.” quote by Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d65/olaf-stapledon-9950_angel_no-visiting-angel-or-explorer-from-anoth_12107.jpg)
