“ For man is of a threefold nature, composed of material body, of a soul which is more subtle, but also material, and of an incorruptible mind. ”
Anatole France, Thaïs (1890). copy citation
| Author | Anatole France |
|---|---|
| Source | Thaïs |
| Topic | body mind |
| Date | 1890 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | Translated by Robert B. Douglas |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2078/2078-h/2078-h.htm |
Context
“Must I repeat to you, Dorion, that science and cogitation are but the first steps to knowledge, and that ecstasy alone leads to eternal truth?
HERMODORUS. It is true, Zenothemis, that the soul is nourished on ecstasy, as the cicada is nourished on dew. But we may even say more: the mind alone is capable of perfect rapture. For man is of a threefold nature, composed of material body, of a soul which is more subtle, but also material, and of an incorruptible mind. When, emerging from the body as from a palace suddenly given over to silence and solitude and flying through the gardens of the soul, the mind diffuses itself in God, it tastes the delights of an anticipated death, or rather of a future life, for to die is to live;”
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