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Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, weak men create hard times.
Explanation
There are those who try to turn this into some sort of rule of 80, where every four generations see this cycle. However, reality is rarely quite so neat as that. Again, taken too literally, this statement will prove false.
- Hard times create strong men, but can also create broken and bitter men.
- Strong men create good times, but they can also build towers to serve their selfish ambition.
- Good times create weak men, but they can also create men who sustain the strength of their times.
- Weak men create hard times, but sometimes weak men become strong themselves.
Remember, mix each of my truths with enough irony that they can represent truth even if they are not literally true.
What this points out is a pattern, an explanation of the cycles of history. Oftentimes all four phases are in some way happening at once. Are we today in hard times or good times? A time could be hard and good. A time can also be soft and bad. What happens then?
Look for the cycle, the pattern, but don’t assume this truth is absolute.