Know thyself
Meaning: Self-knowledge and self-awareness are the foundation of all wisdom and right living.
Origin: The Greek gnōthi seauton was inscribed in the forecourt of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, according to the travel writer Pausanias. Plato's Socrates returns to it again and again as the starting point of philosophy.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- French: Connais-toi toi-même (literally: Know yourself)
- Spanish: Conócete a ti mismo (literally: Know yourself)
- Japanese: 汝自身を知れ (Nanji jishin wo shire) (literally: Know thyself)
- German: Erkenne dich selbst (literally: Know yourself)
More proverbs about Morality
- Waste not, want not — Using things carefully and avoiding waste prevents future need and scarcity.
- Let the punishment fit the crime — Penalties should be proportional and appropriate to the offense committed.
- He who permits wickedness commands it — Silently allowing wrongdoing makes you as responsible as the wrongdoer.
- The truth is rarely pure and never simple — Reality is complex and nuanced; anyone claiming simple certainty should be viewed with sk…
- Character is what you do when no one is watching — True virtue is shown not in public performances but in private actions when there are no…
- The shortest answer is doing the thing itself — Action is more effective than deliberation; the most direct response to a challenge is to…
From our idioms
- Кот наплакал (Kot naplakal) — A laughably tiny amount.
- Viajar na maionese — To talk nonsense or drift off into your own dream world.
- Chutar o balde — To stop caring and let everything go — unlike the English, nobody dies.