Extremes meet.
Opposite extremes can sometimes have more in common than we might expect. This proverb suggests that seemingly opposite or contradictory things can actually be similar.
The origin of the proverb "extremes meet" is often attributed to the idea expressed in ancient philosophical thought, particularly in the writings of Greek philosophers like Heraclitus, who believed that opposites are interconnected and can coexist. It reflects the belief that extreme viewpoints or conditions can sometimes lead to similar outcomes or experiences. The proverb serves as a reminder to look beyond superficial differences and recognize deeper connections or similarities.
The humble man can become so humble as to be haughty about his humbleness. In this way it might be said that the extremes of haughtiness and humbleness meet.
Extremes meet: good and bad, good and evil, mind and body, past and future–extremes meet and repel each other or turn into each other, they either polarize into opposites or unify into complements or both oppose and complement. It is Groundhogs Day all over and over, again and again, endless repetition, and eternal recurrence of the same.
In the realm of spirit, everything is always connected to its opposite: thin is never without fat, poor travels the same rails as wealth.
