“All that appears and happens about and around us is uncertain, transient.”
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Probable attribution
This saying is widely associated with Mahatma Gandhi, but the attribution is not supported by a reliable primary source.
Likely origin: From An Autobiography; Gandhi on the uncertainty and transience of all that appears and happens around us.
About this quote
Circumstances, moods, reputations, even the body keep shifting, so staking your peace on any of them means riding every rise and fall. Noticing that outward things pass lets you hold them lightly and rest your footing on something steadier inside.
When to use it
- A manager whose big win last quarter is forgotten by Monday learns not to coast on any single result.
- After a flattering review goes cold, a writer keeps writing instead of chasing the next hit of praise.
- A family that lost and then rebuilt its savings holds money more loosely the second time around.