Meaning

This line urges a person to guard their own judgment fiercely. Its core advice is that no outside voice, however persuasive, should be allowed to steer you toward a choice that conflicts with your own genuine good. The emphasis falls equally on word and deed, meaning that pressure can arrive through flattery, argument, or example, and all of it should be measured against your own best interest before you act.

Context

The Golden Verses is a collection of moral and practical precepts associated with the Pythagorean tradition. Whether Pythagoras himself composed every line is a matter of scholarly debate, but the verses have long been treated as a condensed guide to the Pythagorean way of life. They cover a wide range of conduct, from duties to the gods and to one's parents to the discipline of private thought. This particular instruction sits within that broader framework of self-mastery, which was central to how Pythagoreans understood a well-lived life.

About the author

Pythagoras was an ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician who lived in the sixth century BCE. He founded a community whose members followed strict ethical and intellectual disciplines, and his influence spread widely across the ancient world. He is associated with foundational work in mathematics and with the idea that number underlies the structure of reality. His teachings were transmitted largely through his followers, and distinguishing his own words from later additions remains a challenge for historians.