This too shall pass

This article is about the adage. For other uses, see This too shall pass (disambiguation).

"This too shall pass" (Persian: این نیز بگذرد, romanized: īn nīz bogzarad) is an adage about impermanence of Persian origin. It reflects the temporary nature, or ephemerality, of the human condition — that neither the negative nor the positive moments in life ever indefinitely last. The general sentiment of the adage is found in wisdom literature throughout history and across cultures, but the specific phrase seems to have originated in the writings of the medieval Persian Sufi poets.

It is known in the Western world primarily due to a 19th-century retelling of a Persian fable by the English poet Edward FitzGerald:[1]

SOLOMON'S SEAL.

The Sultan asked Solomon for a Signet motto, that
should hold good for Adversity or Prosperity. Solomon
gave him,

"THIS ALSO SHALL PASS AWAY."

It was also notably employed in a speech by Abraham Lincoln before he became the sixteenth President of the United States.[2]

  1. ^ "Works of Edward FitzGerald". Polonius: A Collection of Wise Saws and Modern Instances. Houghton, Mifflin & Co. 1887. p. 433.
  2. ^ Springfield, Mailing Address: 413 S. 8th Street; Us, IL 62701 Phone: 217 492-4241 Contact. "Lincoln on America's Future - Lincoln Home National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2023-11-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)