Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 14: The Three Qualities of Nature
Bhagavad Gita 14.18
ऊर्ध्वं गच्छन्ति सत्त्वस्था मध्ये तिष्ठन्ति राजसाः ।
जघन्यगुणवृत्तिस्था अधो गच्छन्ति तामसाः ॥
ūrdhvaṃ gacchanti sattvasthā madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ | jaghanyaguṇavṛttisthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ ||
Those established in clarity rise upward; those of passion stay in the middle; those of inertia, caught in the ways of the lowest quality, sink downward.
Modern context
Those in clarity rise; those in passion stay in the middle; those in inertia sink. It is a picture of direction more than destination. Every day, the balance of the gunas in us is pulling us slightly upward, sideways or downward. Small choices add up over years. A person who keeps choosing clarity slowly rises.