"During the height of Ancient Greece's influence, one could go to Delphi and visit the renowned Temple of Apollo. It was one of a series of temples built around 550 BCE. In one of the pillars in the forecourt of that temple were carved, 3 maxims - said to have been the best advice of the revered 7 sages of ancient Greece. They were: Know thyself Nothing in excess Certainty brings ruin"
"Over 2,000 years have passed since the temple was built, and these maxims still hold true. In fact, in the absence of established rules for yourself, you could do a lot worse than these. Know Thyself I've attempted to explain self-improvement and personal development to hundreds of people over the years. And I don't think there's a better way to sum it up than this: Self-improvement is actually just ongoing, iterative self-discovery."
Delphi hosted the Temple of Apollo, constructed around 550 BCE and later destroyed during Theodosius I's reign circa 390 CE. Three maxims carved on a forecourt pillar — Know thyself; Nothing in excess; Certainty brings ruin — functioned as core ethical guidelines associated with the seven sages of Greece. Those maxims have persisted for over two millennia as concise rules for conduct and decision-making. The phrase "Know thyself" frames self-improvement as iterative self-discovery. Personal development therefore relies on continual self-examination, learning from experience, and adjusting behavior rather than fixed prescriptions.
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