"To act wisely when the time for action comes, to wait patiently when it is time for repose, put man in accord with the tides. Ignorance of this law results in periods of unreasoning enthusiasm on the one hand, and depression on the other"
About this Quote
The subtext is a critique of modern self-mythology, especially the kind that treats willpower as a solvent for every obstacle. When Blavatsky describes “unreasoning enthusiasm,” she’s naming the intoxication of acting just to feel alive, the cultural habit of mistaking motion for meaning. The counterweight, “depression,” isn’t framed as a mysterious illness but as the predictable crash after forcing the wrong season. It’s an early diagnosis of boom-and-bust psychology: intensity as compensation, exhaustion as punishment.
Context sharpens the intent. Blavatsky wrote in an era obsessed with cycles and systems - evolutionary theory, industrial expansion, spiritual revivals, social reform movements that flared and collapsed. As a theosophical thinker, she also traded in the idea that hidden laws govern visible life. This line reads like recruitment by resonance: accept the existence of an unseen order, and your emotional volatility becomes not a personal failure but a misread calendar. Her promise is discipline disguised as destiny.
Quote Details
| Topic | Wisdom |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite | Cite this Quote |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Blavatsky, Helena Petrova. (2026, January 16). To act wisely when the time for action comes, to wait patiently when it is time for repose, put man in accord with the tides. Ignorance of this law results in periods of unreasoning enthusiasm on the one hand, and depression on the other. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/to-act-wisely-when-the-time-for-action-comes-to-130957/
Chicago Style
Blavatsky, Helena Petrova. "To act wisely when the time for action comes, to wait patiently when it is time for repose, put man in accord with the tides. Ignorance of this law results in periods of unreasoning enthusiasm on the one hand, and depression on the other." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/to-act-wisely-when-the-time-for-action-comes-to-130957/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"To act wisely when the time for action comes, to wait patiently when it is time for repose, put man in accord with the tides. Ignorance of this law results in periods of unreasoning enthusiasm on the one hand, and depression on the other." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/to-act-wisely-when-the-time-for-action-comes-to-130957/. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.












