The man is making preparations for a year, and does not know that he will die before evening. And I remembered God's second saying, 'Learn what is not given to man.' 'What dwells in man' I already knew. Now I learnt what is not given him. It is not given to man to know his own needs.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- People prepare for the future without knowing if they will survive to see it. This illustrates the limitation of human knowledge regarding personal needs and fate.
- In plain terms
- We plan for tomorrow but cannot know if we will live.
- What can you take from it?
- Human knowledge has limits regarding our own fate.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you live with the unknown?
- What matters most given life's uncertainty?
Another view
It may encourage fatalism over responsible planning.
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