Evil Quote by Thomas Browne
““Darknesse and light divide the course of time, and oblivion snares with memory, a great part even of our living beings; we slightly remember our felicities, and the smartest stroaks of affliction leave but short smart upon us. Sense endureth no extremities, and sorrows destroy us or themselves. To weep into stones are fables. Afflictions induce callosities, miseries are slippery, or fall like snow upon us, which notwithstanding is no unhappy stupidity. To be ignorant of evils to come, and forgetfull of evils past, is a mercifull provision in nature, whereby we digest the mixture of our few and evil days, and our delivered senses not relapsing into cutting rememberances, our sorrows are not kept raw by the edge of repetitions.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Pseudodoxia Epidemica, 1646
Human memory forgets both joy and pain; we tend to ignore future suffering and past hardships, which helps us cope.
In simple terms: We forget extremes, which eases suffering.
Key Takeaway
Accept memory's limits and focus on present resilience.
Themes
memory
philosophy
human nature
Mood
reflective
philosophical
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- personal reflection
- mental health coping
- historical analysis
Key Concepts
cognitive bias
temporal perception
resilience
Questions to Reflect On
- What role does selective memory play in wellbeing?
- How can we balance forgetting with learning?
A Different Perspective
Overreliance on forgetting can prevent learning from past mistakes.
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