concept
Gnothi seauton (Know thyself)
know thyself
also: Гноти се автoн, Познай самого себя, nosce te ipsum
The ancient Greek maxim inscribed at the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, urging self-knowledge as the foundation of wisdom; here quoted by the old fire chief to puncture the inspector's boasting.
Reading notes
- From the Notebook of Ivan Ivanych (Thoughts and Notes) §87 `Gnothi se auton,'
Greek for "know thyself," the maxim inscribed at the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. The fire chief invokes it, half-garbled in transliteration, to argue that no one can master his own nature.
- Self-Deception (a tale) §28 Gnothi seauton
Greek for "know thyself," the maxim inscribed at the Temple of Apollo at Delphi; the old fire chief invokes it, half-garbled, to deflate the inspector's self-satisfied boasting.