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StillnessQuoteContext and sources

Inconstancy is my very essence. Rise up on my spokes if you like, but don't complain when you're cast back down into the depths.

Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy

PhilosophyHistory

Why it matters

The idea in context

Boethius wrote this in a cell, awaiting execution on a charge of treason he denied. He had been the most powerful official in Italy; now he had nothing. In the book, Lady Philosophy visits him and lets Fortune speak for herself — and Fortune's defence is that she never pretended otherwise. The image of her wheel, lifting and dropping kings, became one of the most copied pictures of the Middle Ages.

Türkçe

Aynı kart, başka bir dilde.

Kararsızlık benim özümdür. İstersen tekerleğimin parmaklarına tutunup yüksel; ama dibe savrulduğunda şikâyet etme.
Boethius, Felsefenin Tesellisi

Boethius bunu bir hücrede, reddettiği bir vatana ihanet suçlamasıyla idamı beklerken yazdı. İtalya'nın en yetkili yöneticisiydi; artık hiçbir şeyi kalmamıştı. Kitapta Felsefe Hanım onu ziyaret eder ve Talih'e kendini savunma hakkı verir; Talih'in savunması da şudur: Kendini hiçbir zaman başka türlü göstermedi. Kralları kaldırıp indiren o çark imgesi, Orta Çağ'ın en çok çoğaltılan resimlerinden biri oldu.

Source trail

Read beyond the card.

Background reading: The Consolation of PhilosophyAttribution and context are revised when stronger evidence appears. Corrections are welcome through the editorial page.
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