A philosopher by the kitchen stove: 'Here, too, are gods'

Heraclitus lived in Ephesus around 500 BC and was nicknamed 'the Obscure' for his riddling sentences. He believed everything is in constant change, yet a hidden order (logos) runs through that change.

According to Aristotle, visitors who came to see him hesitated when they found him warming himself by the kitchen stove. He told them, 'Come in—here, too, are gods.' The story captures his conviction that greatness lies not in special places but in ordinary life.