— Thales of MiletusReported in Diogenes Laertius 1.35; approximate English rendering; the Delphic maxim Know yourself is associated with several sages
Commentary
This saying, reported as the answer of Thales to a question about difficulty, links the hardest task with self-knowledge, a theme that the Delphic maxim made central to Greek moral reflection. The attribution to Thales is traditional, since the same maxim was ascribed to several sages, and the saying shows how the Seven Sages were used as a repository of ethical wisdom. A. A. Long emphasises that the sayings of the sages were compiled to give Greek readers a canon of practical advice, and that this one belongs to that project. G. S. Kirk, J. E. Raven, and M. Schofield note that the Delphic inscription is attested independently of Thales, which weakens the case for his authorship. Charles Kahn observes that the early Ionian interest in nature did not exclude moral reflection, though the connection is not explicit in this saying. Jonathan Barnes cautions that the saying should be read as a later ethical formulation. Richard McKirahan points to the emphasis on self-knowledge as a common feature of Presocratic moral sayings. The English is approximate, and the attribution should be treated as traditional.
Commentary
This saying, reported as the answer of Thales to a question about difficulty, links the hardest task with self-knowledge, a theme that the Delphic maxim made central to Greek moral reflection. The attribution to Thales is traditional, since the same maxim was ascribed to several sages, and the saying shows how the Seven Sages were used as a repository of ethical wisdom. A. A. Long emphasises that the sayings of the sages were compiled to give Greek readers a canon of practical advice, and that this one belongs to that project. G. S. Kirk, J. E. Raven, and M. Schofield note that the Delphic inscription is attested independently of Thales, which weakens the case for his authorship. Charles Kahn observes that the early Ionian interest in nature did not exclude moral reflection, though the connection is not explicit in this saying. Jonathan Barnes cautions that the saying should be read as a later ethical formulation. Richard McKirahan points to the emphasis on self-knowledge as a common feature of Presocratic moral sayings. The English is approximate, and the attribution should be treated as traditional.