Life runs like the sun: rising, high noon, then the turn.

What it means

The first half of life is a climb: more strength, more reach, more of everything. At noon the direction changes, and going forward means a different kind of movement. Knowing that early saves a lot of panic later.

The source

"Life runs like the sun: rising, high noon, then the turn." Carl Jung said it in Two Essays (1928), I, ch. V 'The Personal Unconscious and the Super-personal or Collective Unconscious'. Translated by H. G. and C. F. Baynes, 1928.

"Our life is like the course of the sun. In the morning the sun gains continually in strength until it blazes forth in the zenith-heat of high noon; then comes the enantiodromia: its continued movement forward does not mean an increase but a decrease in strength."

H. G. and C. F. Baynes, 1928, Two Essays (1928), I, ch. V 'The Personal Unconscious and the Super-personal or Collective Unconscious'. Text read at archive.org.

Who said it

Carl Jung (1875–1961). Swiss psychiatrist who broke with Freud and founded analytical psychology. He mapped the persona, the shadow, the collective unconscious and the lifelong work of becoming yourself, which he called individuation. Our lines come only from his writings published before 1931, in our own translations from the German or in English translations of the time.

Questions

What does "Life runs like the sun: rising, high noon, then the turn." mean?

The first half of life is a climb: more strength, more reach, more of everything. At noon the direction changes, and going forward means a different kind of movement. Knowing that early saves a lot of panic later.

Who said "Life runs like the sun: rising, high noon, then the turn."?

Carl Jung (1875–1961). Source: Two Essays (1928), I, ch. V 'The Personal Unconscious and the Super-personal or Collective Unconscious'.

What is the original wording?

Our life is like the course of the sun. In the morning the sun gains continually in strength until it blazes forth in the zenith-heat of high noon; then comes the enantiodromia: its continued movement forward does not mean an increase but a decrease in strength (H. G. and C. F. Baynes, 1928). Translated by H. G. and C. F. Baynes, 1928.

Is "Life runs like the sun: rising, high noon, then the turn." on a shirt?

Yes. We print it to order on our tees in 7 illustrated looks, from $44, with free US shipping.

"Life runs like the sun: rising, high noon, then the turn." (Carl Jung, Two Essays (1928), I, ch. V 'The Personal Unconscious and the Super-personal or Collective Unconscious', trans. H. G. and C. F. Baynes, 1928). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/life-runs-like-the-sun-rising-high-noon