Eternity is a child playing checkers.---Heraclitus (535-475 B.C.)
in Pickover, Archimedes to Hawking
and it reminded me of this gem:
Eternity is very long, especially towards the end.--Woody Allen
Something about Woody Allen's wit really makes me smile. As long as we are on the subject, I should mention this too:
To see a world in a grain of sand---William Blake, "Auguries of Innocence" (1803)
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour.
I thank Jacob Bronowski for that one. His book "The Ascent of Man," and the video, had a huge influence on me when I was young (yes, long ago). I have the series on DVD from here. Except for a weird distortion of the music in the beginning (maybe the remaster is better), it is still just as powerful for me today as it was then.
