Meaning

This instruction goes a step further than simply telling someone not to do wrong: it asks that the very thought of wrongdoing be turned away before it can take root. The idea is that virtue operates best at the level of intention, not just action. Waiting until a harmful impulse has gathered momentum makes it harder to resist; catching it at the moment of first consideration is the deeper and more effective discipline.

Context

This line comes from a text known as the Golden Verses, a collection of moral and philosophical precepts associated with the Pythagorean tradition. The Golden Verses offer guidance on how to live well, touching on relationships, self-examination, and the governance of one's inner life. Whether Pythagoras composed them himself or they were gathered by followers in his name, they represent one of the more systematic attempts from ancient Greek culture to set out a practical ethical code in verse form.

About the author

Pythagoras was an ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician who lived in the sixth century BCE. He is best known today for the geometric theorem that bears his name, but in his own time he was also a significant moral and spiritual teacher. He founded a community of followers devoted to a particular way of life, one that combined mathematical inquiry with ethical discipline and religious practice. Many sayings attributed to him were likely gathered and transmitted by his followers over generations.