Hermes Trismegistus, the Greek name for the Egyptian god Thoth, is a renowned figure in the realm of Hermetic writings – revelatory texts on theology and occult subjects.
Thoth, also the god of writing, was connected to various arts and knowledge sectors including medicine, astronomy and magic.
The Greeks, since the time of Herodotus, had identified him with their god Hermes, a linkage made official by the 3rd century BCE.
The epithet Trismegistus (Thrice-Greatest) came from the Egyptian phrase “aa aa” (greatest) used to describe Thoth in late hieroglyphics.
Writings attributed to Hermes-Trismegistus are classified into “popular” Hermetism focusing on astrology and occult sciences and “learned” Hermetism dealing with theology and philosophy.
Popular Hermetism, which includes texts on astrology, medicine, alchemy and magic, was somewhat neglected until the late 19th century.
However, recent studies suggest that its development predates learned Hermetism and reflects widespread beliefs of the early Roman Empire.
The theological writings of Hermes-Trismegistus, primarily seen in the 17 treatises of the Corpus Hermeticum, date back to the first three centuries CE. Despite their Egyptian context, these writings are characteristically Greek in philosophy and language.
While there was no single doctrine consistently put forth in these texts, they all bore a mystical form of sincere piety.
The teachings of Hermes Trismegistus were adopted by the Arabs and eventually influenced Western figures such as Albertus Magnus.
Here are some of the popular Hermes Trismegistus Quotes.
Best Hermes Trismegistus Quotes
Philosophy is nothing else than striving through constant contemplation and saintly piety to attain knowledge of God. ~ Hermes Trismegistus.
The Earth is brutish; the Heaven is reasonable or rational. ~ Hermes Trismegistus.
The world nourishes bodies, the spirit nourishes souls. ~ Hermes Trismegistus.
I long to learn the things that are, and comprehend their nature, and know God. This is, I said, what I desire to hear. ~ Hermes Trismegistus.
The excellence of the soul is understanding; for the man who understands is conscious, devoted, and already godlike. ~ Hermes Trismegistus.
For the sun is situated in the center of the cosmos, wearing it like a crown. ~ Hermes Trismegistus.
That which is below is like that which is above, and that which is above is like that which is below, to perform the miracles of one only thing. ~ Hermes Trismegistus.
This is what you must know: that in you which sees and hears is the word of the lord, but your mind is god the father; they are not divided from one another for their union is life. ~ Hermes Trismegistus.
The Father of the universals doth consist of Light and Life, and from Him Man was born. ~ Hermes Trismegistus.
As above, so below, as within, so without, as the universe, so the soul… ~ Hermes Trismegistus.
Popular Hermes Trismegistus Quotes
Man is the most divine of all the beings, for amongst all living things, Atum associates with him only – speaking to him in dreams at night, foretelling the future for him in the flight of birds, the bowels of beasts, and the whispering oak. ~ Hermes Trismegistus.
Close your eyes and let the mind expand. Let no fear of death or darkness arrest its course. Allow the mind to merge with Mind. Let it flow out upon the great curve of consciousness. Let it soar on the wings of the great bird of duration, up to the very Circle of Eternity. ~ Hermes Trismegistus.
The present issues from the past, and the future from the present. Everything is made one by this continuity. Time is like a circle, where all the points are so linked that one cannot say where it begins or ends, for all points precede and follow one another forever. ~ Hermes Trismegistus.
Birth is not the beginning of life – only of an individual awareness. Change into another state is not death – only the ending of this awareness. ~ Hermes Trismegistus.
If thou but settest foot on this path, thou shalt see it everywhere. ~ Hermes Trismegistus.
Humanity looked in awe upon the beauty and the everlasting duration of creation. The exquisite sky flooded with sunlight. The majesty of the dark night lit by celestial torches as the holy planetary powers trace their paths in the heavens in fixed and steady meter – ordering the growth of things with their secret infusions. ~ Hermes Trismegistus.
Things upon Earth, do not advantage those in Heaven; but all things in Heaven do profit and advantage all things upon Earth. ~ Hermes Trismegistus.
The punishment of desire is the agony of unfulfillment. ~ Hermes Trismegistus.
Top Hermes Trismegistus Quotes
Avoid all conversation with the multitude or common people; for I would not have you subject to envy, much less to be ridiculous unto the multitude. ~ Hermes Trismegistus.
Having made them rise, I became guide to my race, teaching them the words – how to be saved and in what manner – and I sowed the words of wisdom among them, and they were nourished from the ambrosial water. ~ Hermes Trismegistus.
Do you not know, Asclepius, that Egypt is an image of heaven or, to be more precise, that everything governed and moved in heaven came down to Egypt and was transferred there? If truth were told, our land is the temple of the whole world. ~ Hermes Trismegistus.
Nothing in Heaven is enslaved; nothing upon Earth is free. ~ Hermes Trismegistus.
The hearer must be of one mind with the speaker, my son, and of one spirit as well; he must have hearing quicker than the speech of the speaker. ~ Hermes Trismegistus.
Famous Hermes Trismegistus Quotes
The generation of man is corruption; the corruption of man is the beginning of generation. ~ Hermes Trismegistus.
No eyes will raise to heaven. The pure will be thought insane and the impure will be honored as wise. The madman will be believed brave, and the wicked esteemed as good. ~ Hermes Trismegistus.
The man who hath Mind in him, let him learn to know that he himself is deathless. ~ Hermes Trismegistus.
My discourse leads to the truth; the mind is great and guided by this teaching is able to arrive at some understanding. When the mind has understood all things and found them to be in harmony with what has been expounded by the teachings, it is faithful and comes to rest in that beautiful faith. ~ Hermes Trismegistus.
So these were 27 top Hermes Trismegistus quotes and sayings.
If you like these quotes and sayings, then you can also read my other posts on Warren Miller quotes and Pauli Murray quotes.
