STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS

Persian Proverb on Courage & Resilience

This too shall pass.

Persian Proverb

Traditional proverb reminding us that every condition is temporary


Meet the Giant

Persian Proverb

“This too shall pass” is an old adage rather than the work of a single identifiable author. It is commonly connected with Persian folklore and medieval Sufi traditions, including stories of a ruler given a phrase that offers perspective in both adversity and prosperity. The saying entered broad English circulation through nineteenth-century retellings, including Edward FitzGerald's “Solomon's Seal,” and related versions also appear in Jewish folklore. Its strength lies in applying equally to sorrow and success: no emotional state, season, possession, or circumstance remains unchanged forever.

What This Means

The quotation suggests that remembering impermanence can steady us in hardship and keep us humble and present during success. It directs attention toward a mental or relational practice that can be overlooked: connection, learning, interpretation, honest observation, simplicity, chosen character, impermanence, focused awareness, humility, action, or perspective. The line becomes valuable when it interrupts an automatic response and helps us see what our habits of attention are producing.

A responsible reading preserves complexity. Love does not eliminate loneliness or danger, and knowledge can be used destructively as well as wisely. Thought shapes experience without making every event morally neutral. Simplicity should not erase necessary nuance, while choosing an identity cannot guarantee an outcome beyond our control. Attention to thoughts is not a command to suppress difficult emotions. Humility does not require self-erasure, and examining judgment does not forbid discernment, accountability, or protective boundaries. Impermanence can comfort us, but it should not excuse avoidable harm or delay needed action.

The practical invitation is to notice one place where the quotation applies today. Seek the missing fact. Separate circumstance from interpretation. Remove one needless detail. Translate a stated value into observable conduct. Broaden attention when one concern fills the entire frame, or let awareness move outward toward a person or part of the world you have stopped noticing. Small acts like these turn memorable language into lived wisdom. Repeated over time, they reshape attention, character, relationships, and the quality of our choices.

Why It Matters

This matters because remembering impermanence can steady us in hardship and keep us humble and present during success. Human attention is selective, and whatever occupies it can quickly feel like the whole of reality. We may mistake familiarity for truth, discussion for action, complication for seriousness, or a temporary condition for a permanent identity. Those errors influence how we spend time, treat people, and respond to uncertainty.

The quotation offers a checkpoint rather than a complete philosophy: what am I seeing clearly, what am I adding, and what can I practice now? The answer may be a conversation, a boundary, further research, a simplified commitment, a deliberate act of goodness, or several quiet minutes of attention. None guarantees control over circumstances. Each improves the quality of participation within them. Over time, such choices build greater perspective and integrity—the ability to remain grounded in what matters without being captured by every passing thought, pressure, or distraction.

This too shall pass.

      

A Moment of Reflection

What present condition are you treating as permanent? If you remembered that it will change, what would you endure more patiently—or appreciate more fully—while it is here? What might change if you practiced that insight for one week?

Carry This With You

Remembering impermanence can steady us in hardship and keep us humble and present during success in daily life.


Source & Attribution

Traditional adage of Persian and wider folklore; popularized in English through nineteenth-century retellings

Commonly Attributed