"....these are representations of Time as 'Kairos;' that is, the brief, decisive moment which marks a turning-point in the life of human beings or in the development of the universe. This concept was illustrated by the figure vulgarly known as Opportunity. Opportunity was show as a man (originally nude) in fleeting movement, usually young and never very old, in spite of the fact that Time is sometimes called πoλιóς (grey-headed) in Greek poetry. His attributes were a pair of scales, originally balanced on the edge of a shaving knife, and, in a somewhat later period, one or two wheels. Moreover his head often showed the proverbial forelock by which bald-headed Opportunity can be seized."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Erwin Panofsky, ch 3. Father Time, in Studies In Iconology: Humanistic Themes In The Art Of The Renaissance, 1939
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kairos
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Kairos
13 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Kairos →
Related Quotes
"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die;…"
"Whereas "false stories" can be told anywhere and at any time, myths must not be recited except during a period of sac…"
"In imitating the exemplary acts of a god or of a mythic hero, or simply by recounting their adventures, the man of an…"
"It is not enough to be in the right place at the right time. You should also have an open mind at the right time."
"Chronology, the time which changes things, makes them grow older, wears them out, and manages to dispose of them, chr…"
""The universal rule, in oratory as in life, is to consider propriety" (Cicero, The Orator, 21.71). In this view, know…"
"“...Opportunity is made out to be the youngest child of Zeus”. Opportunity is, of course, the god Kairos, who personi…"
"As Hegel called the place at the end of philosophy the "place of truth," so Marx thought that the proletariat occupie…"
"The union of kairos and logos is the philosophical task set for us in philosophy and in all fields that are accessibl…"
"As the Greeks devoted themselves to philosophy, obedient to the logos within the limits of the kairos; as the Middle …"