We might as well say of a ship that put out to sea and lost first one piece of timber, which was replaced by another of the same shape and dimensions, then lost another, and so on with all her timbers, and finally returned to port the same ship, with the same build, the same sea-going qualities, recognizable by everybody as the same-we might as well say of such a ship that it had a substantial soul.
Berdin balioko luke portutik irteten den untziaren arima substantzialaz mintzatzeak, gaur ohol bat galduta, haren ordez forma eta neurri bereko beste bat jartzen zaiolako; eta gero beste zati bat galtzen du, eta horrela, banan-banan, guztiak, eta azkenean itsasuntzia bera itzultzen da, itxura berberaz, nabigatzeko egoera berean, eta guztiek haintzat ezagutzen dute.