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Spartan Surfers

c. 460-370 BC

Hippocrates

Physician of Cos and the father of Greek medicine. The Aphorisms of the Hippocratic collection open with: life is short, the art is long.

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Every line we carry

Each one links to its source, what it means, and the shirt in any of our looks.

  1. Life is short. The craft is long. The moment is fleeting.

    The first aphorism of the Hippocratic collection: life is short, the art long, opportunity fleeting, experiment risky, judgment difficult. Any real skill takes longer to master than you have. Start now and respect the moment when it comes.

    Aphorisms 1.1, our translation from the Greek

  2. For extreme diseases, extreme remedies.

    For the most extreme illnesses, the Hippocratic writer says, the most extreme treatments, precisely applied, are best. Desperate situations call for decisive action. Half measures do not stop a fire.

    Aphorisms 1.6, our translation from the Greek