The Ancient Greek aphorism "Know yourself" (Greek: γνῶθι σεαυτόν or gnothi seauton) was inscribed at the lintel of the entrance to the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. Ancient Greece is a period in Greek history that lasted for around one thousand years and was extinguished by the newly-powerful Christianity. ... Aphorism (from the Greek αφοριζειν, to define), literally a distinction or a definition, is a term used to describe a principle expressed tersely in a few telling words or any general truth conveyed in a short and pithy sentence, in such a way that when once heard it is unlikely to... Apollo (Greek: Απόλλων, Apóllōn) is a god in Greek and Roman mythology, the son of Zeus and Leto, and the twin of Artemis (goddess of the hunt). ... The amphitheatre, seen from above. ...

The phrase has been attributed to at least five ancient Greek sages:

• Chilon of Sparta (Chilon I 63, 25)
• Thales of Miletus
• Socrates
• Pythagoras
• Solon of Athens

Other sources attribute it to Phemonoe, a mythical Greek poetess. According to Juvenal, the precept descended from heaven. Chilon of Sparta or Chilo of Sparta was a Lacedaemonian, son of Damagetus and one of the Seven Sages of Greece. ... For the French electronics and defence contractor, see Thales Group Thales (in Greek: Θαλης) of Miletus (circa 635 BC - 543 BC), also known as Thales the Milesian, was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher and one of the Seven Sages of Greece. ... Socrates (Greek: Σωκράτης, invariably anglicized as , SÇ’cratÄ“s; 470–399 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher who is widely credited for laying the foundation for Western philosophy. ... and just to let you know. ... Solon Solon (Greek: , ca. ... In Greek mythology, Phemonoe was a daughter of Apollo. ... Frontispiece depicting Juvenal and Persius, from a volume translated by John Dryden in 1711. ...

In Latin the phrase is generally given as nosce te ipsum. Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ...

Trivia

An alternative Latin rendering, Temet Nosce, appears inscribed above the entrance to the Oracle's kitchen in the motion picture The Matrix. The Oracle is a fictional character portrayed by Gloria Foster (and later, by Mary Alice) within the Matrix series of films created by the Wachowski brothers. ... The Matrix is a science fiction/action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski and starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss and Hugo Weaving. ...

See also

• Introspection
• Self-knowledge
• Self (philosophy)
• Self-realization

This article is about the psychological process of introspecting. ... The four Techniques of Knowledge, also known as kriyas may have originated from the Surat Shabda Yoga, Sant Mat and other ancient traditions in the Far East. ... In philosophy, the self is the idea of a unified being which is the source of an idiosyncratic conciousness. ... Categories: Substubs ...

External links

• Poem Know Thyself by Alexander Pope
• Poem Gnothi Seauton by Ralph Waldo Emerson
• Gnothi sauton at SUNY-Binghamton