This Maxim is sometimes difficult to achieve because we oftentimes judge before we have all of the facts of a situation. Getting the facts is not always the easiest thing for people to do as sometimes they challenge the pre-conceived notions we have from our past experiences or what we have been taught are ‘the…

This Maxim could also be read as ‘Keep yourself from hubris’ because of the word in it that is translated here as ‘insolence’. But, no matter how you translate the words from the Ancient Greek, the meaning of this Maxim remains the same. We are to keep ourselves from thinking that we are the be-all…

“The tongue has no bones, yet bones it breaks” was something that my father told me when I was a child. The saying is a reminder of what this Maxim is about. When we do not hold our tongues it can ruin friendships or even lives because we cannot unsay what has been said. This…

Disgrace is defined as “a condition of shame, loss of reputation, or dishonor” This Maxim, like so many others, is very straightforward in its message to us. We are to keep from things that would disgrace us. This can include words as well as actions. But, we must also keep in mind that these are ultimately based on our own decisions. Disgraceful actions…

Hesiod, Works and Days 11 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or C7th B.C.) : “It was never true that there was only one Eris (Strife). There have always been two on earth. There is one you could like when you understand her. The other is hateful. The two Erites have separate natures. There is…

This Maxim is not just about working for what you own, but for what you canown as well. There are many things in life that it is desirable to own, and all of them are things that you need to work for in order to have. These range from temporary, but necessary, things such as…

This Maxim is very much about being aware of what is going on around you. It is about listening as opposed to merely hearing things. When someone wants to observe something, they pay attentionto that thing or event. But most people do not think of the sense of hearing when they think of observation, and…

It is said that ‘Fortune favors the bold’, but I would also say that the bold are fond of Fortune. There are many times when a little boldness is what is needed in order to ensure good fortune in an endeavor as we may often miss opportunities when we are not bold in action. But,…

This Maxim tells us a lot by what it does not say. It does not tell us to pray for prosperity, health, good children or any of the other things that society tells us will bring us happiness. Rather, it tells us that we should pray specifically to be happy. This is a telling thing…

This Maxim is an interesting one in that it does not tell us for whom we should be fulfilling favors. Are we to fulfill what we tell someone we will do for them? Of course we should. Are we to do favors for others? Again, of course we should. Are we to be thankful for…