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Sentences of the Seven Sages

Besides the four inscriptions on the Temple of Apollo, a stele at Delphi apparently contained a collection of Wisdom aphorisms, known today as
the Sayings of the Seven Sages. Various literary and archeological sources enable us to reconstruct the collection. [1] As with the oracular
utterances of the Delphic priestesses, they are to be searched for hidden meanings.

Cleobulus Bias Pittacus Solon Thales Epimenides Chilon

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100 Follow God Shun murder 100 Act without repenting

Heed the law Pray for things possible Repent of sins
Honor the Gods Consult the wise Control the eye
Care for your parents Test the character Give a timely counsel
5 55 5 Yield to Justice 55 Give back what you have received Act quickly
105 Know what you have learned Down-look no one 105 Guard friendship
Perceive what you have heard Use your skill Be grateful
, Be Yourself Do what you mean to do Pursue harmony
Intend to get married Honor a benefaction Keep deeply the top secret
10 60 10 Know your opportunity 60 Be jealous of no one Fear ruling
110 Think as a mortal Be on your guard 110 Pursue what is proVitable
If you are a stranger act like one Praise hope Accept due measure
Honor the hearth [or Hestia] Despise a slanderer Do away with enmities
Rule yourself Gain possessions justly Accept old age
15 65 15 Help your friends 65 Honor good men Do not boast in might
115 Be superior to anger Know the judge 115 Exercise religious silence
Exercise prudence Master wedding-feasts Flee enmity
Honor providence Recognize fortune Acquire wealth justly
Do not use an oath Flee a pledge Do not abandon honor
20 70 20 Love friendship 70 Speak plainly Despise evil
120 Cling to discipline Associate with your peers 120 Venture into danger prudently
Pursue honor Govern your expenses Do not tire of learning
Long for wisdom Be happy with what you have Do not stop to be thrifty
Praise the good Revere a sense of shame Admire oracles
25 75 25 Find fault with no one 75 FulVill a favor Love whom you rear
125 Praise virtue Pray for happiness 125 Do not oppose someone absent
Practice what is just Be fond of fortune Respect the elder
Be kind to friends Observe what you have heard Teach a youngster
Watch out for your enemies Work for what you can own Do not trust wealth
30 80 30 Exercise nobility of character 80 Despise strife Respect yourself
130 Shun evil Detest disgrace 130 Do not begin to be insolent
Be impartial Restrain the tongue Crown your ancestors
Guard what is yours Keep yourself from insolence Die for your country
Shun what belongs to others Make just judgements Do not be discontented by life
35 85 35 Listen to everyone 85 Use what you have Do not make fun of the dead
135 Be religiously silent Judge incorruptibly 135 Share the load of the unfortunate
Do a favor for a friend Accuse one who is present Gratify without harming
Nothing to excess Tell when you know Grieve for no one
Use time sparingly Do not depend on strength Beget from noble roots
40 90 40 Foresee the future 90 Live without sorrow Make promises to no one
140 Despise insolence Live together meekly 140 Do not wrong the dead
Have respect for suppliants Finish the race without Be well off as a mortal
Be accommodating in everything shrinking back Do not trust fortune
Educate your sons Deal kindly with everyone As a child be well-behaved
45 45 Give what you have Do not curse your sons as a youth - self-disciplined
95 145 Fear deceit Rule your wife 145 as of middle-age just
Speak well of everyone 95 BeneVit yourself as an old man sensible
Be a seeker of wisdom Be courteous on reaching the end - without sorrow
Choose what is divine Give a timely response
50 50 Act when you know Struggle with glory

Notes
Stobaeus (Anth. 3.1.173) included the Commandments of the Seven Wise Men, listing the littleknown Sosiades as the source. For centuries these
147 gnomic sentences were little appreciated, due, likely in part, to doubts about their authenticity and antiquity.

That view changed in 1968, when Louis Robert described a set of inscriptions found in the GrecoBactrian city of AiKhanum, Afghanistan. These
(1) appeared closely related or identical to Sosiades' sentences, and (2) were 'signed' by one Clearchos, who claimed he faithfully copied them
from where they stood dedicated in "the most holy Pythian shrine" (Delphi). Robert argued that this Clearchos was the fartraveling philosopher,
Clearchos of Soli, student and friend of Aristotle, and he dated the inscriptions to 3rd Century BC.

Later, Oikonomides (1987) compared these inscriptions with others found at Miletopolis on the Hellespont and a papyrus fragment and
concluded that Sosiades' sentences, or something like them, were in wide circulation at least in Hellenistic times, and could easily have derived
from the 5th century BC or earlier.

The possibility that these sayings were actually inscribed at Delphi (along with the three famous commands, and the enigmatic 'E') gives cause to
examine them more closely. An of>icial English translation of Sosiades' sentences does not exist. Oikonomides supplied tentative translations in
his paper, but with the proviso that people should study and revise them.

References
Oikonomides, A.N. Records of "The Commandments of the Seven Wise Men" in the 3rd century B.C. The Classical Bulletin, Vol. 63(3), Summer
1987, pp 6776.

Robert, Louis. De Delphes a l'Oxus: Inscriptions grecques nouvelles de la Bactriane. CRAI 1968, 442454.

Sosiades. Commandments of the Seven Wise Men (Stobaeus, Anthologium 3.1.173). In: Curt Wachsmuth and Otto Hense (eds.), Stobei Anthologium,
Vol. 3. Berlin, 1894. pp. 125ff.

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