"I used to measure the heavens, now I measure the shadows of Earth. The mind belonged to heaven, the body's shadow lies here."
— Johannes Kepler
I Used To Measure The Heavens
I used to measure the heavens, now I measure the shadows of Earth. The mind belonged to heaven, the body's shadow lies here.
About this quote
Johannes Kepler composed this epitaph for himself, expressing in verse the contrast between his celestial work and his earthly mortality. The first line alludes to his earlier career measuring the heavens through astronomy, and the second to the grave. Kepler died in Regensburg in 1630; the original Latin inscription was placed on his grave, which was later destroyed during the Thirty Years' War.
Source
Self-composed epitaph