Delphic Maxim of the week 3/6

Guard what is yours | Ἴδια φύλαττε

“This is a warning, that we should not be blind to risk and danger, even when we are people of goodwill and trust. The idea of "what is yours" has a more extensive meaning than merely your material property. You have your interests, you intellectual property, your dignity. All these things shape and make you, and it is prudent and just to look after your interests. Being good does not mean you have to give away all that is yours and thus ruin yourself through unlimited generosity and kindness. It is too often the misunderstood zeal of being good, whereby people ruin themselves; they give all away, open their doors to strangers and find themselves robbed for the foolish trust. The wise man looks after his interests and his belongings.”