Henri Bergson

Decision-Making: Embracing the Future with Clarity

Bringing these threads together, Bergson’s teaching ultimately calls for clarity and responsibility in how we conduct our lives. To decide is to accept agency—observing one’s circumstances with open eyes and accepting the outcomes of chosen paths. This act imbues life with meaning, as each step forward becomes both a declaration of intention and an embrace of growth. [...]

Bridging Thought and Action in Everyday Life

To foster this balance in daily living, one must develop habits of mind and habits of effort. This means setting aside time for deep reflection—whether through study, writing, or meditation—while also practicing decisive action by setting goals and taking initiative, even amid uncertainty. By continuously alternating between these modes, individuals can respond to life’s challenges with both insight and resolve. [...]

To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly. — Henri Bergson

Bergson wrote during an era of scientific revolutions, when Darwin’s theory of evolution was reshaping how people understood change and progress. *On the Origin of Species* (1859) posited that adaptation and transformation lie at the heart of all life. Bergson applied this evolutionary logic to consciousness and selfhood, making transformation a universal law for both biological and personal being. [...]