Know Thyself
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
The admonition of the oracle of Apollo at Delphi; also attributed (by Dio- geneus Laertius, i, 40) to Thales, also to Solon the Athenian lawgiver, Socrates, Pythagoras, and others.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Know Thyself” mean?
The admonition of the oracle of Apollo at Delphi; also attributed (by Dio- geneus Laertius, i, 40) to Thales, also to Solon the Athenian lawgiver, Socrates, Pythagoras, and others.
Is “Know Thyself” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.