Maimonides, Guide for the Perplexed (c. 1190).
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Galen, in the third section of his book, "The Use of the Limbs," says correctly that it would be in vain to expect to see living beings formed of the blood of menstruous women and the semen virile, who will not die, will never feel pain, or will move perpetually, or shine like the sun. This dictum of Galen is part of the following more general proposition:—Whatever is formed of matter receives the most perfect form possible in that species of matter; in each individual case the defects are in accordance with that individual matter.

— Maimonides

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Galen, in the third section of his book, "The Use of the Limbs," says correctly that it would be in vain to expect to see living beings formed of the blood of menstruous women and the semen virile, who will not die, will never feel pain, or will move perpetually, or shine like the sun. This dictum of Galen is part of the following more general proposition:—Whatever is formed of matter receives the most perfect form possible in that species of matter; in each individual case the defects are in accordance with that individual matter." in the context of "Maimonides, Guide for the Perplexed (c. 1190)." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Galen" (Quotes about Galen) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Galen

About Galen

Claudius Galenus of Pergamum (129–c. 200/c. 216), better known as Galen, was a Greek physician and a writer on medicine and philosophy. His theories dominated European medicine for well over a millennium. Galen was the first physician/physiologist to ever announce that blood moves.