Home › Proverbs

You cannot step into the same river twice

Meaning: Everything is constantly in flux; no experience can ever truly be repeated.

Origin: Ancient Greek philosophy attributed to Heraclitus of Ephesus (c. 500 BC), father of the doctrine of change.

Translations

  • French: On ne se baigne jamais deux fois dans le même fleuve (literally: One never bathes twice in the same river)
  • Spanish: Nunca te bañas dos veces en el mismo río (literally: You never bathe twice in the same river)
  • Japanese: 同じ川に二度入ることはできない (Onaji kawa ni nido hairu koto wa dekinai) (literally: You cannot step into the same river twice)

More proverbs about Wisdom

  • A little knowledge is a dangerous thing — Partial knowledge breeds overconfidence and can be more harmful than honest ignorance.
  • The frog in the well knows not the great ocean — Those with limited experience cannot comprehend the vastness of the wider world.
  • A good beginning makes a good ending — How you start something largely determines how it will finish; preparation and intention…
  • He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened — Understanding others requires wisdom, but self-knowledge is the highest form of understan…
  • Measure twice, cut once — Take time to plan carefully before acting, to avoid costly and irreversible mistakes.
  • The best mirror is an old friend — True friends who have known us for a long time see us most clearly and honestly.

← Back to Proverbs

Loading the full interactive collection…