"Good character is not formed in a week or a month. It is created little by little, day by day. Protracted and patient effort is needed to develop good character."

Motivation

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Thematic Reflection

This quotation examines the core nature of Motivation as articulated by Heraclitus. Within historical and literary traditions, reflections on Motivation provide actionable mental models, challenging individuals to evaluate personal ethics, self-discipline, and daily actions.

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About Heraclitus

Heraclitus was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher from the city of Ephesus, which was then part of the Persian Empire. He exerts a wide influence on Western philosophy, both Ancient and Modern philosophy, through the works of such authors as Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Martin Heidegger.

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More by Heraclitus

"You could not step twice into the same rivers; for other waters are ever flowing on to you."

— Heraclitus
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"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man."

— Heraclitus
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More about Motivation

"I have advice for people - period - who are in unhealthy relationships: Follow your heart. It will get you to where you need to be. Sometimes it's hard, sometimes it's easy, the places that your heart takes you. But continue to follow it. Where the train leads you - you'll get there."

— Erykah Badu
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"It happened to me on 'King of the Hill,' where I'd left it before the end and didn't really participate in the ending, and I always felt a little bit like I wanted to try a different version of that story."

— Greg Daniels
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"Learning to make films is very easy. Learning what to make films about is very hard."

— George Lucas
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"The only thing I really recommend, if you're starting out in stand-up is to not try to copy anybody else. You can be influenced by people. I was influenced by Steve Martin and Bob Newhart and Woody Allen, but I never tried to be someone else. I always tried to be myself. And the reason people are successful is they're unique."

— Ellen DeGeneres
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