Delphic Maxim of the Week - 8/7

Φρόνησιν ἄσκει | Exercise prudence

Delphic Maxim of the week. Exercise prudence

“To be prudent means to be careful, but also think, to act intelligently. The wise person will always be careful in the things he does. Otherwise he would be reckless and endanger others and himself. This is not to say one has to be a coward, on the contrary. Daring has its time and place. But even then, one has to reflect before, You have only so many means, so much skill, and you must weight these against the situation at hand, otherwise you act in the hubris of powers, you do not have. The opposite of prudent action is hubris, you take more that you can bear or manage. Sometimes we need to challenge ourselves, indeed. But that is a reaction to extreme and strange situations, not a rule for everyday life. Often enough the prudent, the careful and the planning outsmart and defeat the powerful and reckless, who have no patience.”