Heraclitus wrote in riddles and refused to explain them. He believed the universe is a process, not a thing, an eternal fire that kindles and goes out in measure. Opposites need each other. Day defines night. War fathers peace. The logos holds it all together, but most people walk through life asleep to it. He was difficult, solitary, and possibly the most original thinker before Socrates.
Heraclitus reportedly deposited his book in the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, deliberately making it hard to access. He wrote in riddles and despised the masses. Only fragments survive, but they are among the most quoted words in philosophy.
