Quote by Aristotle
And further, observing that all this indeterminate substance is in motion, and that no true predication can be made of that which changes, they supposed that it is impossible to make any true statement about that which is in all ways and entirely changeable. For it was from this supposition that there blossomed forth the most extreme view of those which we have mentioned, that of the professed followers of Heraclitus, and such as Cratylus held, who ended by thinking that one need not say anything, and only moved his finger; and who criticized Heraclitus for saying that one cannot enter the same river twice, for he himself held that it cannot be done even once.
Summary
This quote is explaining the views of those who followed Heraclitus, an ancient Greek philosopher, regarding the nature of reality. According to these philosophers, they observed that everything in the world is constantly changing and in motion, leaving no stable or unchanging substance to make true statements about. This perspective led some, like Heraclitus and Cratylus, to extreme views suggesting that language is incomplete or unnecessary. Cratylus went so far as to propose that one need not say anything at all and only used finger movements to communicate. In a subtle criticism, Cratylus argued that even Heraclitus' assertion of not being able to step into the same river twice is too limited - in fact, he believed one cannot enter the same river even once.
Random Quotations
