Know thyself

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Image:Gnothi Sauton Reichert-Haus in Ludwigshafen.jpg

A stained glass window with the contracted version γνωθι σαυτόν.

The Ancient Greek aphorism "Know yourself" (Greek: γνωθι σεαυτόν or gnothi seauton) was inscribed in the pronaos (forecourt) of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi - according to the Greek periegetic (travelogue) writer Pausanias (10.24.1).

The aphorism has been attributed to at least six ancient Greek sages:

Other sources attribute it to Phemonoe, a mythical Greek poetess. In a discussion of moderation and self-awareness, the Roman poet Juvenal quotes the phrase in Greek and states that the precept descended de caelo (from heaven) (Satire 11.27).

The saying "Know thyself" may refer by extension to the ideal of understanding human behavior, morals, and thought, because ultimately to understand oneself is to understand other humans as well. However, the ancient Greek philosophers thought that no man can ever comprehend the human spirit and thought thoroughly, so it would have been almost inconceivable to know oneself fully. Therefore, the saying may refer to a less ambitious ideal, such as knowing one's own habits, morals, temperament, ability to control anger, and other aspects of human behavior that we struggle with on a daily basis.

In Latin, the aphorism is generally given as nosce te ipsum.

[edit] Trivia

Image:Broom icon.svg

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

The Gamma Sigma Fraternity's name was chosen because gamma and sigma are the first two letters of each of the words, gnothi seauton.

"Gnothi seauton" is the motto of Hamilton College, a liberal arts college located in upstate New York.

An alternative Latin rendering, Temet Nosce, appears inscribed above the doorway in the Oracle's kitchen in the motion picture The Matrix.

Sometimes an extended version of this motto is cited as "Know thyself - and thou shalt know all the mysteries of the gods and of the universe."

In some Freemason temples, the phrase appears inscribed not above the entrance, but inside the temple.

The motto of the International Co-Masonic Order "DELPHI".

The author George James claimed in his controversial book Stolen Legacy, first published in 1954 and still in print, that the saying "Know thyself" was not created by the Greeks but instead was a spiritual lesson and even a doctrine in ancient Egypt that meant that the Kingdom of Heaven is inside each and every man and woman, and therefore that if you go inside yourself, you not only find the Kingdom of Heaven but you find and know yourself as well.