The expression “you cannot step into the same river twice” is attributed to the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus. Only fragments of his treatise “On Nature” have reached us. The treatise consisted of three parts: “On Nature”, “On the State”, “On God”.
More fully, this phrase reads like this: “You cannot step into the same river twice, and you cannot twice overtake mortal nature in the same state, but the speed and speed of exchange scatters and gathers again. Birth, origin never stops. The sun is not only new every day, but eternally and continuously new.” Although one cannot vouch for the authenticity of the authorship, some scholars dispute it, for example, A.F. Losev.
There is another interpretation, which changes somewhat philosophical meaning: “On those entering the same rivers, some waters flow at one time, and at another time different waters.”
How can we understand this expression?
The expression may cause confusion if you perceive the river as a static phenomenon, a geographical or topographical concept. Without delving into philosophy, it is difficult to understand why it is impossible to go into a river, say, the Klyazma, twice, if a person took a swim, came out, dried off and decided to take a dip again. In such a utilitarian meaning, the expression loses its meaning.
At a minimum, it is necessary to imagine the river as an ecosystem, then everything will fall into place. During the time when the person was on the shore, irreversible changes occurred in the water - some fish ate a worm, and the balance of living organisms changed, somewhere far away a stone fell into the water and changed the volume of the river. Even the pattern of the waves changed, just as the man himself grew older during the time he rested on the shore.
In this respect, the expression is close to the more familiar one - “everything flows, everything changes.” Close, but not exact, since in Heraclitus’ statement more attention is paid to the subject of perception.
Perception of the statement in a practical sense
A person who decides to return to the past is doomed to be washed by “other waters.” Not better, not worse, just different. There is no element of edification in this, so the analogy with the Russian proverb “you can’t mend a broken cup” is not entirely correct. A glued cup creates the appearance of former benefit, but the crack will constantly remind you of the former problem.
Entering another river is in no way connected with past life experiences, any failures or successes. A person who decides to go back will never be able to repeat what happened and even the usual static things will change, not to mention relationships, but it is possible that in a positive way.
People say you don’t step into the same river twice. Although, throughout life, everyone swims and enters the same river many times. This is if we consider the purely direct meaning of this expression. But what is meant in a figurative meaning, what meaning is hidden here, why is it customary to think so and is it worth entering this very river a second time.
Let's try to figure it out in this article. Where does it all begin?
People meet, people fall in love, get married - famous words old song Relationship stories work out differently. There was happiness, there were meetings, affection and feelings, plans, dreams, hopes were made. We made wishes while looking into the night sky at the falling stars.
Preparations were underway for the wedding, the purchase of a joint home was expected, the birth of a child was expected... And a lot of other things were good, and sometimes not so good. But at one point everything collapsed, it didn’t work out, and eventually there was a separation. Everyone has their own reasons, completely different, as well as life situations.
Most people believe that past relationships cannot be returned, they cannot be renewed and established. Bitter resentment, severe disappointment, circumstances, fear of further losses and pain - all this allows you to think so.
The past cannot be returned. Yes, that's right, the past is forever in the past. Is it possible to forgive? This is an individual ability. Nobody knows what the future holds and how life will turn out. Whether there is a desire to start all over again depends on the feelings and wisdom of each individual person.
It is important to understand here that the river about which we're talking about- this is life, it flows, renews and changes all the time. There are both joys and sorrows in it; both happiness and sadness. It is also common for people to change during their lives, grow up, become wiser, and gain certain experience.
To understand and accept something for yourself, and to reject something. And what happens as a result? Indeed, it is basically impossible to step into the same river twice. Because it is new almost every minute. The same goes for the people who join it. They are also different every day. With different life views, with a different attitude and reasoning.
But as for relationships called past ones, there is always the possibility of reconsidering them. Draw conclusions from the mistakes made, reassess values, set priorities.
After all, after time, many grievances seem funny and ridiculous. And many actions are stupid and not as scary as they seemed before. Only over the years, having become wiser, do you gain the ability to look at many things from the outside and correctly analyze situations.
When there are feelings between people that have stood the test of time; there is a desire and desire to be together, you can always start all over again. With new strength, acquired knowledge, skillful approaches to each other.
Is it forbidden to walk together along the river of life, renewed and happy? No, of course it is possible, and even necessary, to enter the same river many times. Into the river called Love!
Usually when they say: “You can’t step into the same river twice,” they don’t really think about who said it first. Over time, all worthwhile thoughts begin to belong to humanity. They don't have an author. The same is true with the aphorism “you cannot step into the same river twice.” And yet it has an author. And we will tell you about it.
Heraclitus (c. 544 - c. 483 BC)
The author of the aphorism is Heraclitus of Ephesus, or the Dark One. According to some rumors, he gouged out his eyes so that the world would not distract him from his thinking process. It's difficult to say whether this is true or false. It's not that important now.
Why, according to Heraclitus, can you not step into the same river twice? Because he believed that the basis of everything is constant movement, struggle and the unity of opposites. He is also the author of the saying: “Everything flows, everything (changes).”
The world is in a constant state of internal war of all elements, and this is good. War is the mother of everything and the basis of universal harmony. Let's not forget that the sage belonged to those thinkers who thought about the fundamental principles of the world. Heraclitus believed that fire is at the foundation of reality! The element subordinate to Hephaestus perfectly corresponds to the philosopher’s worldview.
Nautilus Pompilius
Since reality flows like a river, then you shouldn’t even hope to find it in the same state that it was just a minute ago.
A simple and wonderful thought of the ancient misanthrope - “you can’t step into the same river twice.” It appeals to the taste of not only professional writers, but also musicians. The wonderful group Nautilus Pompilius performed a song based on the poems of Ilya Kormiltsev, called “Thirst”. It contains the following words: “And we entered this water once, which cannot be entered twice.” This suggests that Heraclitus is remembered and revered, and his “fiery thoughts” still have an inspiring effect on our contemporaries. True, Ilya Kormiltsev in 2007 joined Heraclitus in better world, unfortunately.
Everyday interpretation of the saying
It’s difficult to say why, but the saying “you can’t step into the same river twice” is usually remembered when it comes to returning to a previous or past relationship. For example, like this:
Mom, I want to start dating Katya / Masha / Sveta / Olya again.
Son, I wouldn't advise you to do this. You've already been in this river once. It is not entered twice.
Fundamentally, people, of course, do not change, but on the surface, spontaneously, yes. The meaning of the saying can be interpreted ambivalently: if it didn’t work out once, then it won’t work out the second time either. The meaning, in principle, can be the opposite, but usually what is meant here is a repetition of the same result.
The attentive reader will understand that the everyday meaning of the saying is fundamentally at odds with what Heraclitus had in mind, but such is the popular rumor. In her nature lies a tendency to distort everything. And therefore we advise you to read and reread the classics of philosophy and literature, at least in translation. If there are no essays left, then you need to look for information about them. The main thing is to fight your own ignorance.
What does the saying mean - you cannot step into the same river twice? What's the point?
- it is often used in relationships between a man and a woman, when people dated for a long time, then broke up, and then want to get back together.
- in business, when a person wants to try something that he has already done before.
- less often during illnesses and operations, when you suffer from the same disease again, or when you have already had such an operation.
You don't step into the same river twice.
After all, after a while, the water is different.
Remember - what happened once.
Will not happen again, ever again.
The whole ocean of our warm nostalgia, happy moments and irrevocable regrets about the past time (flowing water) cannot be counted. And in general, any action that you so bitterly regret cannot be replayed, any memories cannot be turned into reality. So that you can think again and do the right thing, and then everything would be fine.
The ancient Greek dialectical philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus (554-483 BC) said: Everything flows, nothing stands still. And I perceive the saying “You cannot step into the same river twice” just as Heraclitus thought. Everything in the world is dynamic and everything changes.
I think that you cannot make mistakes twice, just as you cannot enter a river twice, it has already flowed.
The meaning of this saying is that, as another saying says, Everything flows, everything changes.
Every moment, every moment there is a different river in front of us, different water flows, the configuration of the bank has changed at least a little, and so on.
This proverb is used when they want to make a person understand that it will no longer be possible to act successfully the old way, the situation has already changed and new approaches are needed, you need to think and act in a new way.
For example, if in sports, having developed a successful strategy, we have won many times, then the enemy has already studied us and this time we need to surprise him with a new product, otherwise we may fall into his trap.
And so it is always in life - you need to develop, improve, and not stand still.
This is the essence of the saying.
Let me disagree with any of the above answers: for some reason everyone perceives this expression as somehow one-sided. The meaning of this expression is not at all that everything flows, changes, etc. But the meaning of this expression should be understood as follows: you cannot live your life twice... whatever one may say, don’t try, and no one will have a second chance.
On the one hand, the river always flows and the water in it is always different, on the other hand, there are dammed areas in the river where the water stands in one place. In the first case You can't step into the same river twice, but in the second you can! Although, of course, that’s not what the saying is about!
What does the saying mean: you cannot step into the same river twice? What's the point? So the first question means that you cannot return to the same event. For example in a relationship. We met, lived together, and then broke up. What if we start all over again? So you will be able to enter the same river again. In my understanding this is exactly the case. But of course there may be exceptions, that something has already changed, and then everything becomes possible. And if everything remains the same, then everything will repeat itself again and come to its logical conclusion. At least you do it today, at least tomorrow.
Why is everyone talking about Heraclitus? Heraclitus effectively said: everything flows, everything changes. And the expression indicated by the author of the question is an exact quote from the Bible, the book of Ecclesiastes (preacher). Literally: you cannot step into the same river twice.
Ambiguities are caused by inaccurate translation. This statement would be correctly translated as follows: you cannot enter the same water twice. And it means the following: if you want to enter the same river again, it will no longer be the same river, because the waters into which you entered have already flowed away.
But in general terms, this of course means that nothing in life can be repeated, no matter how much we might like.
By the way, there are many others in the Book of Ecclesiastes famous sayings, For example:
Vanity,
The wind spins and returns to normal,
Knowledge multiplies sorrow.
Very philosophical and interesting book. Makes me think…
The river of time flows, its current carries away the moment irrevocably!
You can't step into the river twice, do you know why? If the river is considered as some kind of object, action, deed, etc., then in our lives we do everything once. For example, literally entering a river - once you entered the river - the fact has happened, the second entry into the river is no longer an action, because information and experience have been received in memory. There is no second unknown in this equation of life. If you enter (sideways, skipping, running) - this is not a new action (it is only the accumulation of one fact with additional details). And so with any situation.
The meaning of this saying is that everything flows and everything changes. Refers not only to the river, but also to any events in life. The river is here as an example. Once you enter the river, there is only water. The second time you enter the same place, it seems to be the same river, but... the water in it is already different. The first molecules are already far downstream. This is not the same river anymore. Not exactly that one. And the banks are a little more washed out, and the fish around are different...
It's the same in life. You will find yourself in a situation once, then a second time. But... this will not be the same situation at all. And the way out cannot be not only not exactly the same as in the first case, but also completely different. And the time is no longer the same, and the environment has changed over time.
The point is that we experience everything in life only once.
The second point is that once you do something, you can’t change it. It will not be possible to return to the same situation (the same river) and correct your mistakes.
Life is constantly changing. You can't make something identical.
You can't go back to the past, everything has changed there. Sometimes you want to return something and look for a starting point. Trying to start over, but in the past there is no beginning. Everything has changed, the main thing is that we are changing. There is no such thing as static life. Every second is the flow of life, events, emotions. All this is changing. The river is life. This is the flow of life events.
And sometimes you want it that way! And then you think - you don’t want to! Well, where we do not.
Philosophy is a strange science, here you can blurt out any phrase and then explain it in an abstruse way!
The river of time flows, its current carries away the moment irrevocably!
You cannot step into the same river twice. Yesterday there was one water, today there is another, since yesterday’s has already flowed away.
This proverb, which Time itself fears, due to its irreversibility, was invented in the pre-Christ era of moral, material and spiritual asceticism.
She, like many others, as well as in the future Proverbs, will never lose their relevance due to the invariance, in relation to Time and to neighbors, of the fundamental properties of the quality of the Human essence.
Well, for example. After all, how does someone want to restore a relationship with a loved one, as if nothing had happened. Or what a pity that you couldn’t connect your destiny with this or that person. Or someone wants to live again under the Union where everything is primitive, queues for sausage without soy and GMOs and a whole range of simple human everyday life without mass culture, but a warm and humane life, etc. and so on.
The entire ocean of our warm nostalgia, happy moments and irrevocable regrets about the past time (flowing water) cannot be counted? And in general, any action that you so bitterly regret cannot be replayed, any memories cannot be turned into reality. So that you can think again and do the right thing, and then everything would be fine.
After all, Time is a River and it flows in one direction!!! And even though you burst, no matter how much you enter this River and leave it, you will still enter another water that came from above. And that is precisely why YOU CAN’T ENTER THE SAME RIVER TWICE (the river is constant, its water is forever changing) because another water is already flowing there!!! And this definition of time, introduced by Heraclitus, is excellent, since it perfectly reflects the properties of the irreversibility of events both in time in general and in life in particular.
Alas, the water of this river can be both warm and cold from time to time, and the name of this river is Styx
And yet, philosophical sayings always imply a dilemma - there is no clear concept here. I understand what this saying means, but I still believe that you can step into the same river twice. It all depends on which side you look at it from.
In our saying: a river is the world, the Universe, a person is like a drop of the same water. The river is also human life, which also changes every minute.
And if figuratively, the river flows and the water in it changes with each new flow. Therefore, tomorrow you will enter a new stream of water, and the one from yesterday has already flown far away to other shores.
If we transfer this to a person’s life, his relationships, then this means that you can return to that work, activity, to relationships, but they will be in a different capacity and not the same as they were before. Life and the person himself changes every minute and hourly. Therefore, every time you enter a new river, a new world, a new life.
I think there is no need to consider this saying directly. The river is given here only as an example, but in fact the meaning of the statement is much broader. It can be projected onto different aspects of our lives.
It’s just that the river in this case is a changing object; in one place it is slow, in another it is fast. Somewhere there may be a waterfall, a sharp turn or complete calm. In this way it is similar to our life. We also have different periods of stagnation and acceleration.
As far as I know, the phrase that was said by Heraclitus, an ancient Greek philosopher, has a philosophical meaning.
This saying is used in different cases, and it means something like this: if you have studied and tried something, then you already know it, there may be small changes, but essentially everything remains the same. For example, you tried watermelon in Moscow, and then went to the sea and tried it there. At sea, watermelon will be much tastier, but it’s still the same watermelon, you’ve already tried it!
Here are the cases when the saying is used - You can't step into the same river twice:
When they want to say that life is fleeting, and events in it are constantly changing, they often use popular expression, authored by the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus (544-483 BC): “You cannot step into the same river twice.”
Heraclitus's saying became a proverb
What is the meaning of this saying as understood by Heraclitus? It is explained by the author's full quotation: “One cannot step into the same river twice, and one cannot twice overtake mortal nature in the same state, but the rapidity and speed of exchange dissipates and gathers again. Birth, origin never stops. The sun is not only new every day, but eternally and continuously new.”
How is this expression interpreted in modern understanding? It is understood that it makes no sense to return to a person with whom you once broke up, that is, “when you leave, go away.” Thus, its original meaning is distorted as it is viewed through the prism of human relationships. The phrase “You cannot step into the same river twice” has become a proverb.
And yet, let's return to the original meaning of this expression, laid down by Heraclitus. Everything in the world is changing, time cannot be turned back. Time... It would seem that what could be simpler than time? After all, it exists, as it were, everywhere - any event takes place in time, and our life too...
The winged expression of Heraclitus and the Great Mystery of Time
But if we think a little, we will find ourselves faced with the Great Mystery of Time. And then not one, but a whole sea of questions will arise.
Why is time omnipresent? Why is it flowing everywhere? Why can't you step into the same river twice?
The impossibility of repeating the same event, in particular, entering the river, is explained by the fact that some time will pass between the first and second times - and the water that we entered the first time will simply flow away. There will already be new water in the river, which means the river itself will be different.
So it is with time. It flows everywhere and constantly. And this second will never happen again. You can find yourself in that same place as many times as you like, but it is impossible to be there at the same time. And all because time flows in only one direction - from the past to the future- and never in the opposite direction.
By the way, another ancient Greek philosopher Cratylus, who was a student and follower of Heraclitus, in order to emphasize the instantaneous movement of space, time and matter, paraphrased Heraclitus’ aphorism as follows: “You cannot enter the same river even once.” Cratylus’s statement, as it were, sums up Heraclitus’s and brings it to its logical conclusion.