Attribution
The aphorism has been attributed to at least the following ancient Greek sages:
- Bias of Priene
- Chilon of Sparta
- Cleobulus of Lindus
- Heraclitus
- Myson of Chenae
- Periander
- Pittacus of Mitylene
- Pythagoras
- Socrates
- Solon of Athens
- Thales of Miletus
Diogenes Laertius attributes it to Thales (Lives I.40), but also notes that Antisthenes in his Successions of Philosophers attributes it to Phemonoe, a mythical Greek poetess, though admitting that it was appropriated by Chilon. 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 10th Century Byzantine Encyclopedia the Suda, recognized Chilon and Thales as the sources of the maxim "Know Thyself."
The authenticity of all such attributions has been doubted; according to one pair of modern scholars, "The actual authorship of the three maxims set up on the Delphian temple may be left uncertain. Most likely they were popular proverbs, which tended later to be attributed to particular sages."
Read more about this topic: Know Thyself
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