The following were the Delphic Maxims which were found at the Delphic temple. These have been added to over the ages but I find them most interesting and figured I would post them. The first two were part of the original three Maxims, the third being "Give surety, get ruin". Surety is pledging the body, rather than property, to secure a debt. If the debtor defaults, he or she became the slave of the creditor. In the modern age we might think alternatively of 'debt is disaster. This practice was abolished a long time ago so doesn't hold as much sway today as it did in the past. The remainder were added over time and believed to be influeniced by the great sages Solon of Athens, Chilon of Sparta, Thales of Miletus, Bias of Priene, Cleobulus of Lindos, Pittacus of Mitylene and Periander of Corinth.
Delphic Maxims:
1. Nothing too much
2. Know thyself
3. Aid friends
4. Control anger
5. Shun unjust acts
6. Acknowledge sacred things
7. Hold on to learning
8. Praise virtue
9. Avoid enemies
10. Cultivate kindsmen
11. Pity supplicants
12. Accomplish your limit
13. When you err, repent
14. Consider the time
15. Worship the divine
16. Accept old age
All of these are most interesting when you stop and think about them. They reflect so many modern values people try to live by.
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