I once read a quote that “to me” has to be one of the greatest statements ever made by any man in recorded history. It went as follows: There is no teacher greater than experience, there is no punisher greater than fate, for fate is a patient mistress, but she forgets no one.
This statement throughly proved that life is nothing more than a great big circle. Everything you do comes right back to you. (good or bad/ right or wrong)
Only problem is that I read this so long ago that I can’t remember who it was that said it. I’m thinking that it was the great Philosopher Aristotle, but I’m not sure. Does anyone here recognise this and know who the author was?
I googled “fate is a patient mistress” but came up with nothing. (This seemed to be a likely candidate for verbatim memorization on your part). Maybe someone else can do better.
The statement doesn’t really prove or even suggest anything. What is “fate”? Predetermined destiny? Divine justice? Karma? Is there any evidence that people are rewarded or punished for their actions solely on the merit of those actions? Certainly doing positive things will elicit a more positive response from people, providing more opportunity for good things to happen, as the reverse is true. But there is always the inherent randomness of the universe that things often happen - good or bad - for no particular reason.
And what does that mean - “life is a circle”? A circle is a closed path that has the same beginning and endpoint. Life is certainly not a circle since even if you follow the same path back to where you started, it would necessarily connect.
I prefer a quote by another great man:
“…and there will be no comeupance…NO COME-UP-ANCE!!!”
-Homer Simpson
It sounds like many of the starting off points in Boethius’s Consolation of Philosophy. Boethius’s premise is that fortune is a harsh mistress that distributes gifts randomly. If you tie yourself to her when she is good to you, you deceive yourself of her nature. When she is bad to you and you fall on hard times, only then do you see her true, fickle nature. Boethius argues that because of this, men should not tie themselves to the fickle gifts of fortune which can be as equally taken away as they are given. Boethius attempts (on shakier legs) to seperate Divine Providence from Fortune as seperate forces in the Universe.
However Boethius was not the first to describe fortune this way, the notion of distinguishing fortune as a fickle mistress goes all the way back to the ancients.
In any case all this assumes that the association with “fate” as a mistress is actually a mistranslation and should be “fortune.” So for all I know it could be a later philosopher, which I know little about.
a) Make an attempt to find the origins of this statement
b) To see or “debate” with others far more knowlegeble than myself on these matters on whether this statement has any true merit.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Starguard
This statement throughly proved that life is nothing more than a great big circle. Everything you do comes right back to you. (good or bad/ right or wrong)
Not only doesn’t the statement prove this, but it doesn’t even suggest it. Your conclusions have nothing to do with the statement.
I drew these conclusions from other similar statements that were drawn from the bible " Those who live by the sword shall die by the sword" and “You reap what you sow”
Quote:
Originally Posted by Starguard
There is no teacher greater than experience, there is no punisher greater than fate, for fate is a patient mistress, but she forgets no one.
This statement throughly proved that life is nothing more than a great big circle. Everything you do comes right back to you. (good or bad/ right or wrong)
The statement doesn’t really prove or even suggest anything. What is “fate”? Predetermined destiny? Divine justice? Karma? Is there any evidence that people are rewarded or punished for their actions solely on the merit of those actions?
According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language 4th Edition, Fate is defined as follows:
a) The supposed force, principle, or power that predetermines events
b) The inevitable events predestined by this force
A final result or consequence;, an outcome.
Unfavorable destiny,doom
Fates: (Greek and Roman Mythology) The three goddesses Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos, who control human destiny
I’m starting to believe that whoever origionally said this was a person “or character” involved with ancient Mythology. I’m still seaching for the originator.
I seem to be having trouble attaching responses to the quoted statements of everyone that has participated in the this post. To make sense of my last response. above each statement that others have made, there is the word “quote” right above it. once you finish reading their statement. I added my response right beneath it. I’m not very good at copying statements from other people on this forum so please bear with me till I get this figured out…Thanks
