Sayings of Anacharsis

The last candidate for membership in the Seven Sages is Anacharsis the Scythian (6th century BC), a man from beyond the Greek sphere who nevertheless left his mark on Greek thought. 

A legend grew about him as an ideal example of the "noble barbarian", a reminder that the calling to wisdom is universal. As an outsider, his observations about the Greeks are priceless. 

As with Myson, the sources are scarce, so it is even more difficult than usual to separate the man from the myth. This drives the modern scholar mad, but I am perfectly at peace with the convergence of the literal and the symbolic. 

Anacharsis was the brother of the Scythian king, Sauilius, and he may have had a Greek mother, which would explain how he learned the language. 

He travelled to Athens, where he is said to have befriended Solon by boldly inviting himself to dinner. The Greek phrase "to talk like a Scythian" apparently referred to his forward style. 

Anacharsis became fond of Greek ideas and customs, and upon his return to Scythia this may have led to conflict with his brother. Sauilius killed Anacharsis during a hunting trip, and the sage uttered his last words: 

My reputation carried me safe through Greece, but the envy it excited at home has been my ruin! 

Diogenes Laërtius wrote this epitaph for him: 

Back from his travels Anacharsis came,
To hellenize the Scythians all aglow;
Ere half his sermon could their minds inflame,
A wingèd arrow laid the preacher low. 

The Cynics were especially fond of Anacharsis, and they thought highly of a collection of his letters, now sadly lost. 

Some sayings of Anacharsis include: 

Written laws are like spiders’ webs; they will catch, it is true, the weak and poor, but would be torn in pieces by the rich and powerful. 

The vine bears three kinds of grapes: the first of pleasure, the next of intoxication, and the third of disgust. 

The inscription on his statues is: "Bridle speech, gluttony, and sensuality." 

He wondered why in Greece experts contend in the games and non-experts award the prizes. 

He expressed surprise that the Greek lawgivers should impose penalties on wanton outrage, while they honor athletes for bruising one another.

Being asked how one could avoid becoming a toper, he answered, "By keeping before your eyes the disgraceful exhibition made by the drunkard." 

After ascertaining that the ship's side was four fingers' breadth in thickness, he remarked that the passengers were just so far from death. 

Oil he called a drug which produced madness, because the athletes when they anoint themselves with it are maddened against each other.

"How is it," he asked, "that the Greeks prohibit falsehood and yet obviously tell falsehoods in retail trade?"

He could not understand why at the beginning of their feasts the Greeks drink from small goblets and when they are "full" from large ones. 

Being asked if there were flutes in Scythia, he replied, "No, nor yet vines." 

To the question what vessels were the safest his reply was, "Those which have been hauled ashore." 

When someone inquired which were more in number, the living or the dead, he rejoined, "In which category, then, do you place those who are on the seas?" 

When some Athenian reproached him with being a Scythian, he replied, "Well, granted that my country is a disgrace to me, you are a disgrace to your country." 

To the question, "What among men is both good and bad?" his answer was "The tongue." 

He said it was better to have one friend of great worth than many friends worth nothing at all. 

He defined the market as a place set apart where men may deceive and overreach one another. 

When insulted by a boy over the wine he said, "If you cannot carry your liquor when you are young, boy, you will be a water carrier when you are old." 

Sayings of Myson

We know very little about Myson of Chenae (6th century BC), for though he was reported to have been the son of a tyrant, he lived the life of a common farmer. It is unclear if his home town was in Laconia, Crete, or near Mount Oeta. 

Plato, at least, thought Myson a better fit than Periander as one of the Seven Sages, and Eudoxus includes him on the list instead of Cleobulus. 

Though I am sure there must be some out there, I have over the years never been able to find a single image of Myson, from any period. Perhaps the very idea of a noble character from a humble background was the very reason that Plato preferred him? 

We are quick to honor mighty kings, clever scholars, or eloquent poets, but we too easily forget the true source of human greatness, the inner qualities of the soul, which never require a grand setting. 

When Anacharsis, another of the candidates for the Seven Sages, asked the Oracle at Delphi if anyone was wiser than himself, the priestess gave him a very clear reply: 

Myson of Chen in Oeta; this is he

Who for wiseheartedness surpasseth thee. 

Just as Socrates later wished to discover what the Oracle meant about him, so Anacharsis figured he should seek out this Myson, and found him working on his plow. As this was in the middle of summer, Anacharsis was confused, and said to Myson: 

Myson, this is not the season for plowing! 

To which Myson replied: 

Yes, but it is the season to repair it. 

It just goes to show how the preparedness of a farmer can outwit the perceptions of a philosopher. 

It is said that Myson, like so many men of keen insight, had a streak of misanthropy to him, for he knew the wickedness that could so easily arise among crowds. Myson was once observed laughing to himself, and when asked why he was doing so while standing completely alone, he explained: 

That is precisely the reason. 

There is only one other saying regularly attributed him, but it's a good one: 

We should not investigate facts by the light of arguments, but arguments by the light of facts; for the facts were not put together to fit the arguments, but the arguments to fit the facts. 

One can only wish that far more "thinkers" understood why the conclusions should never come before the premises. It would save us so much unnecessary grief. 

Sayings of Periander

Periander of Corinth (c. 630-585 BC) was the "tyrant" of his city, in the original Greek sense of an absolute ruler who came to power without the support of a constitution. As such, he was mainly praised for his remarkable achievements in a government that was both strong and fair, by bringing great prosperity to all of his citizens, not just to a few at the expense of the many. 

Yet he is perhaps the most problematic of the candidates for the Seven Sages, a man seemingly racked with contradictions. As such, there was some debate as to whether he was worthy of the title, or if the "wise" Periander might even have been a completely different man that the "tyrant" Periander. 

Though known for his sense of justice, he was also said to have been a man with a fierce temper. I do not fret over this too much, since many of the best people I have known have also been those who struggled with the greatest vices. We all do wrong, sometimes catastrophically so, but only some of us learn from our mistakes to increase our virtues. 

The story has it that Periander unintentionally killed his wife in a rage, and that this caused a permanent rift between him and his son. This may have led him to such despair that he chose to die anonymously, by means of an odd arrangement: 

He did not wish the place where he was buried to be known, and to that end contrived the following device. He ordered two young men to go out at night by a certain road which he pointed out to them; they were to kill the man they met and bury him. 

He afterwards ordered four more to go in pursuit of the two, kill them and bury them; again, he dispatched a larger number in pursuit of the four. 

Having taken these measures, he himself encountered the first pair and was slain. 

Diogenes Laërtius offers this tragic warning from the life of Periander: 

Grieve not because thou hast not gained thine end,
But take with gladness all the gods may send;
Be warned by Periander's fate, who died
Of grief that one desire should be denied. 

Some sayings of Periander include: 

Practice makes perfect. 

Never do anything for money; leave gain to trades pursued for gain.

Those tyrants who intend to be safe should make loyalty their bodyguard, not arms.

When someone asked him why he was tyrant, he replied, "Because it is as dangerous to retire voluntarily as to be dispossessed." 

Rest is beautiful. 

Rashness has its perils. 

Gain is ignoble. 

Democracy is better than tyranny. 

Pleasures are transient, honors are immortal. 

Be moderate in prosperity, prudent in adversity. 

Be the same to your friends, whether they are in prosperity or in adversity. 

Whatever agreement you make, stick to it. 

Betray no secret. 

Correct not only the offenders but also those who are on the point of offending. 

Sayings of Cleobulus

As with most any tradition, there will be some disagreements regarding the details; this is a part of its charm. 

Sources differ on who should be included in the last two places of honor for the Seven Sages, and so the easiest way around this is to list all four of the remaining candidates. 

That way, one can pick two favorites, or simply think of them as the Nine Sages. 

The truth does not break, but it should be flexible, which is a very reason why it does not break. 

Cleobulus of Lindus (6th century BC) was a poet who was especially adept at riddles, and he may also have been the ruler of his city. One of his surviving riddles reads as follows: 

One sire there is, he has twelve sons, and each of these has twice thirty daughters different in feature; some of the daughters are white, the others again are black; they are immortal, and yet they all die. 

And the answer is, "The year."

Legend has it he invited Solon to live in Lindus after he was exiled by Pisistratus: 

You have many friends and a home wherever you go; but the most suitable for Solon will, say I, be Lindus, which is governed by a democracy. The island lies on the high seas, and one who lives here has nothing to fear from Pisistratus. And friends from all parts will come to visit you. 

He is said to have had a special commitment to the virtue of moderation, and many of his saying reflect the importance of balance and restraint. 

Moderation is best. 

It is want of taste that reigns most widely among mortals, and a multitude of words; but due season will serve. 

Set your mind on something good. 

Do not become thoughtless or rude. 

We ought to give our daughters to their husbands maidens in years but women in wisdom; thus signifying that girls need to be educated as well as boys. 

We should render a service to a friend to bind him closer to us, and to an enemy in order to make a friend of him. For we have to guard against the censure of friends and the intrigues of enemies. 

When anyone leaves his house, let him first inquire what he means to do; and on his return let him ask himself what he has effected. 

He advised men to practice bodily exercise; to be listeners rather than talkers; to choose instruction rather than ignorance; to refrain from ill-omened words; to be friendly to virtue, hostile to vice; to shun injustice; to counsel the state for the best; not to be overcome by pleasure; to do nothing by violence; to educate their children; to put an end to enmity. 

Avoid being affectionate to your wife, or quarreling with her, in the presence of strangers; for the one savors of folly, the other of madness. 

Never correct a servant over your wine, for you will be thought to be the worse for wine. 

Mate with one of your own rank; for if you take a wife who is superior to you, her kinsfolk will become your masters. 

When men are being bantered, do not laugh at their expense, or you will incur their hatred. 

Do not be arrogant in prosperity; if you fall into poverty, do not humble yourself. 

Know how to bear the changes of fortune with nobility. 

Sayings of Chilon

As a Spartan, it is perhaps fitting that Chilon's biography is sparse and his sayings terse. We do know that he lived in the 6th century BC, served as an ephor for the city, and wrote elegiac poetry. 

His brother complained that he had not also been elected an ephor, to which Chilon replied, "I know how to admit to injustice and you do not." 

When asked to define what was hard in life, Chilon answered, "To keep a secret. To employ leisure well. To be able to bear an injury." 

When asked the difference between a learned and an unleaded man, he said, "In good hope."

He is reported to have died from a combination of intense joy and the weakness of old age after congratulating his son on an Olympic victory in boxing. 

Give a pledge, and suffer for it. 

Seek no excess—all timely things are good. 

Control your tongue, especially at a banquet. 

Do not abuse your neighbors, for if you do, things will be said about you which you will regret. 

Threaten no one; for that is a womanly trick. 

Be more ready to visit friends in adversity than in prosperity. 

Do not make an extravagant marriage. 

Of the dead say nothing but good. 

Honor old age. 

Consult your own safety. 

Prefer a loss to a dishonest gain: the one brings pain at the moment, the other for all time. 

Do not laugh at another's misfortune. 

When strong, be merciful, if you would have the respect, not the fear, of your neighbors. 

Learn to be a wise master in your own house. 

Let not your tongue outrun your thought. 

Control anger. 

Do not hate divination. 

Do not aim at impossibilities. 

Let no one see you in a hurry. 

Gesticulation in speaking should be avoided as the mark of a madman. 

Obey the laws. 

Be restful. 

From one of his poems: 

Gold is best tested by a whetstone hard,
Which gives a certain proof of purity;
And gold itself acts as the test of men,
By which we know the temper of their minds.

IMAGE: Luca Giordano, The Philosopher Chilon (c. 1660) 

Sayings of Solon

Solon (c. 630-560 BC) was the great lawgiver of early Athens, and many of his reforms, though not always initially successful, were the foundation for later Athenian democratic institutions. 

While attuned to the practicalities of politics and economics, Solon also understood how the welfare of any community is fundamentally moral, and so he always asked not only if it happened to be expedient, but also if it was right. 

Solon stood against the scheming of Pisistratus, going so far as to rush into the assembly fully armed to warn against the dangers of autocracy: 

Men of Athens, I am wiser than some of you and more courageous than others: wiser than those who fail to understand the plot of Pisistratus, more courageous than those who, though they see through it, keep silence through fear. 

Many thought him insane, and so he was to die in exile. Like any insightful man, he saw the bigger picture: 

A little while, and the event will show 

To all the world if I be mad or no. 

We still have some of his other wise utterances: 

He used to say that those who had influence with tyrants were like the pebbles employed in calculations; for, as each of the pebbles represented now a large and now a small number, so the tyrants would treat each one of those about them at one time as great and famous, at another as of no account. 

Speech is the mirror of action. 

Do not counsel what is most pleasant, but what is best. 

An unlucky rich man is more capable of satisfying his desires and of riding out disaster when it strikes, but a lucky man is better off than him . . . He is the one who deserves to be described as happy. But until he is dead, you had better refrain from calling him happy, and just call him fortunate. 

No fool can be silent at a feast. 

If through your vices you afflicted are,
Lay not the blame of your distress on God;
You made your rulers mighty, gave them guards,
So now you groan 'neath slavery's heavy rod.

Consider your honor, as a gentleman, of more weight than an oath. 

Do not be rash to make friends and, when once they are made, do not drop them. 

In giving advice seek to help, not to please, your friend. 

Wealth I desire to have; but wrongfully to get it, I do not wish.

Justice, even if slow, is sure.

Watch well each separate citizen,
Lest having in his heart of hearts
A secret spear, one still may come
Saluting you with cheerful face,
And utter with a double tongue
The feigned good wishes of his wary mind. 

Rule, after you have first learned to submit to rule. 

I grow old ever learning many things.

For often evil men are rich, and good men poor; 

But we will not exchange with them 

Our virtue for their wealth since one abides always, 

While riches change their owners every day. 

Nothing too much. 

As the Deity has given us Greeks all other blessings in moderation, so our moderation gives us a kind of wisdom which is timid, in all likelihood, and fit for common people, not one which is kingly and splendid. This wisdom, such as it is, observing that human life is ever subject to all sorts of vicissitudes, forbids us to be puffed up by the good things we have, or to admire a man's felicity while there is still time for it to change. 

Be led by reason. Shun evil company. Honor the gods. Reverence parents. 

Having been asked what city was best to live in: "That city in which those who are not wronged, no less than those who are wronged, exert themselves to punish the wrongdoers." 

Men keep their agreements when it is an advantage to both parties not to break them; and I shall so frame my laws that it will be evident to the Athenians that it will be for their interest to observe them. 

Sayings of Bias

Bias of Priene (c. 600-530 BC) was perhaps best known as a righteous lawyer, which is a breath of fresh air for those of us who mainly seem to come across the wicked variety. Due to his fine reputation, a just legal outcome was referred to as a "Prienian decision". 

He is said to have ransomed a group of young women who had been made prisoners of war, raised them as his own daughters, gave them dowries, and then returned them to their fathers in Messenia. 

On another occasion, when Priene was being besieged by Alyattes, Bias fattened up some mules and arranged for them to be released into the enemy camp. When Alyattes then sent negotiators to Priene, Bias covered a pile of dirt with a layer of grain, and so confirmed the impression that the city was well-supplied. 

Bias died at a ripe old age. After pleading his last case, he rested his tired head on his grandson's chest, and was found to have passed away when the decision in his favor was read. 

Find favor with all the citizens, in whatever state you dwell. 

The growth of strength in man is nature's work; but to set forth in speech the interests of one's country is the gift of soul and reason. 

Even chance brings abundance of wealth to many. 

He who cannot bear misfortune is truly unfortunate. 

It is a disease of the soul to be enamored of things impossible of attainment. 

We ought not to dwell upon the woes of others. 

Being asked what is difficult, Bias replied, "Nobly to endure a change for the worse." 

Bias was once on a voyage with some impious men; and, when a storm was encountered, even they began to call upon the gods for help. "Peace!" said he, "lest they hear and become aware that you are here in the ship." 

When an impious man asked Bias to define piety, he was silent; and when the other inquired the reason, "I am silent," he replied, "because you are asking questions about what does not concern you." 

Being asked "What is sweet to men," Bias answered, "Hope." 

Bias said he would rather decide a dispute between two of his enemies than between two of his friends; for in the latter case he would be certain to make one of his friends his enemy, but in the former case he would make one of his enemies his friend. 

Asked what occupation gives a man most pleasure, Bias replied, "Making money." 

Bias advised men to measure life as if they had both a short and a long time to live; to love their friends as if they would some day hate them, the majority of mankind being bad. 

Further, Bias gave this advice: Be slow to set about an enterprise, but persevere in it steadfastly when once it is undertaken. Do not be hasty of speech, for that is a sign of madness. 

Cherish wisdom. Admit the existence of the gods. If a man is unworthy, do not praise him because of his wealth. 

Gain your point by persuasion, not by force. 

Ascribe your good actions to the gods. 

I carry all my effects with me. 

Make wisdom your provision for the journey from youth to old age; for it is a more certain support than all other possessions. 

You should look into a mirror: if you look fine, do fine things; if you look ugly, correct by nobility the defect of your nature. 

Delphic Maxims

The Delphic Maxims are a collection of pithy sayings admired in the Ancient world, and are often offered as points of reference for a good life. 

Tradition attributes them to the Oracle at Delphi, and so to the wisdom of Apollo, though others say they were coined by the Seven Sages, or were popular expressions that came to be bundled together over the centuries. With the universal nature of truth, it is quite possible that all of these accounts are true. 

They are simple and direct, which is a part of their appeal, and yet I have discovered that they serve as wonderful opportunities for deeper reflection. I begin with the the basic maxim, and as soon as I ask myself how I should actually put it into practice, or ponder the reasons why it might be true, I end up going down the rabbit hole, connecting a straightforward rule to the far wider context of Nature. 

As a little experiment, I once picked a maxim a day, and after glancing at it in the morning, found that it constantly popped up in ways I didn't expect, and by the evening I had somehow managed to apply it to so many of the things I came across. Again, universal truth is like that. 

There are many variation of these rules, and you shouldn't be surprised to find them reflected in all other traditional cultures. The ones listed in this series are taken from Stobaeus. 

The most famous are the three that were said to be inscribed in the court of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi: 

Γνῶθι σεαυτόν 

Know yourself 

Μηδὲν ἄγαν 

Nothing in excess 

Ἐγγύα πάρα δ' Ἄτα 

Surety brings ruin 

IMAGE: Albert Tournaire, The Sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi (1894)