The Delphic maxims are a set of maxims inscribed on the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. Originally, they were said to have been given by the Greek god Apollo's Oracle at Delphi, Pythia, and therefore were attributed to Apollo.
What are the three Delphic maxims?
There were three maxims carved into the Temple of Apollo at Delphi:
- γνῶθι σεαυτόν (know thyself)
- μηδὲν ἄγαν (nothing in excess)
- Ἐγγύα πάρα δ'ἄτη (a pledge comes from folly)
What is the other Delphic maxim?
sauton with the ε contracted) is one of the Delphic maxims and was the first of three maxims inscribed in the pronaos (forecourt) of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi according to the Greek writer Pausanias (10.24. 1). The two maxims that followed "know thyself" were "nothing to excess" and "certainty brings insanity".
