
“Human nature is like water. It takes the shape of its container.”
The quote "With water as the basis, the spirit becomes like water. Water adopts the shape of its rec…" is famous quote attributed to Miyamoto Musashi (1584–1645), Japanese martial artist, writer, artist.
Go Rin No Sho (1645)
Context: Second is the Water book. With water as the basis, the spirit becomes like water. Water adopts the shape of its receptacle, it is sometimes a trickle and sometimes a wild sea. … If you master the principles of sword-fencing, when you freely beat one man, you beat any man in the world. The spirit of defeating a man is the same for ten million men. … The principle of strategy is having one thing, to know ten thousand things.
“Human nature is like water. It takes the shape of its container.”
“Wealth is like sea-water; the more we drink, the thirstier we become.”
E. Payne, trans. (1974) Vol. 1, p. 347
Parerga and Paralipomena (1851), Aphorisms on the Wisdom of Life
“Sometimes grace works like water wings when you feel you are sinking.”
Source: Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith
Majlisi, Bihārul Anwār, vol.78, p. 311.
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