Reflections and finding meaning
Three Aphorisms of Hans Margolius
“Calm mind and lake” designed by me with chatgpt
An aphorism is a short, memorable saying. They often summarize a profound idea, and when they become popular that demonstrates that people like and relate to them.
Today I want to share with you three aphorisms by Hans Margolius.
Hans Margolius (1902-1984) was born in Poland. Between 1929 and 1933 he was a librarian in Berlin, and from 1935 until 1937 he was a lecturer at the Jewish “Lehrhaus” in Berlin. [A Lehrhaus is a German term for a ‘house of learning’ or school, usually dedicated to adult education.] Margolius emigrated to the USA in 1939. He worked as a language teacher, librarian, and university lecturer in Miami, where he continued to publish works on ethics. He is often remembered for his aphorisms on ethics and philosophy. Summary from AI.
Here is the first aphorism. It inspired the peaceful image (above) I created for this post. I like the sentiment here. In many of my posts I write about the value of having a quiet, open and attentive mind.
#9 Only in quiet waters things mirror themselves undistortedly. Only in a quiet mind is there adequate perception of the world.
The next aphorism takes the idea further. It suggests that quiet reflection is not only a means to an end (understanding), it can be an end in itself.
#3 To reflect on life is not only to clarify life, not only to bring order into life. Reflection at the same time is a kind of life itself. It is a special kind of human existence.
And the last aphorism brings in the Arts and Culture. While I value scientists and empiricists, I also estimate that creators, artists and speculative thinkers enrich our society.
#21 We are able to see things distant from us only with a telescope. For things which are very small we need the aid of a microscope. Similarly, we are in need of the help of the poet, the painter, the philosopher to inspect the heart of mankind and to point out to us the value, the meaning, and the purpose of life.
All of the above from Values of Life: Essays and Notes, 1971
Beautifully peaceful…thank you. 💛
That is such a beautiful sequence of thoughts. There’s something so grounding about that first image the idea that we can’t actually see the world clearly until we stop splashing around in our own mental noise. It makes me think about how often we try to "solve" our lives when the water is choppy, only to realize that the solution was actually just sitting there waiting for us to get still enough to see it.
I also love the perspective in #3 that reflection isn't just a "tool" for organizing our day, but a specific way of being alive. It’s easy to feel guilty for "just thinking," but this reminds us that contemplation is actually a high-level human function. It's not a pause from life; it’s a deeper layer of it.
And that last one is the perfect defense for the dreamers and the artists. Science can tell us what we’re made of, but we really do need the poets and philosophers to tell us what we’re *for*.
Thanks for sharing these. They’re exactly the kind of "quiet water" a Substack feed needs.