The Complete Aristotle (eng.)

a general kind;
nor is it about any and every subject—e.g. ‘straight is the
contrary of curved’ is not a maxim—but only about questions of
practical conduct, courses of conduct to be chosen or avoided. Now
an Enthymeme is a syllogism dealing with such practical subjects.
It is therefore roughly true that the premisses or conclusions of
Enthymemes, considered apart from the rest of the argument, are
Maxims: e.g.
Never should any man whose wits are sound
Have his sons taught more wisdom than their fellows.
    Here we have a Maxim; add the reason or explanation, and the
whole thing is an Enthymeme; thus—
It makes them idle; and therewith they earn
Ill-will and jealousy throughout the city.
    Again,
There is no man in all things prosperous,
    and
There is no man among us all is free,
    are maxims; but the latter, taken with what follows it, is an
Enthymeme—
For all are slaves of money or of chance.
    From this definition of a maxim it follows that there are four
kinds of maxims. In the first Place, the maxim may or may not have
a supplement. Proof is needed where the statement is paradoxical or
disputable; no supplement is wanted where the statement contains
nothing paradoxical, either because the view expressed is already a
known truth, e.g.
Chiefest of blessings is health for a man, as it seemeth to
me,
    this being the general opinion: or because, as soon as the view
is stated, it is clear at a glance, e.g.
No love is true save that which loves for ever.
    Of the Maxims that do have a supplement attached, some are part
of an Enthymeme, e.g.
Never should any man whose wits are sound, &c.
    Others have the essential character of Enthymemes, but are not
stated as parts of Enthymemes; these latter are reckoned the best;
they are those in which the reason for the view expressed is simply
implied, e.g.
O mortal man, nurse not immortal wrath.
    To say ‘it is not right to nurse immortal wrath’ is a maxim; the
added words ‘mortal man’ give the reason. Similarly, with the words
Mortal creatures ought to cherish mortal, not immortal
thoughts.
    What has been said has shown us how many kinds of Maxims there
are, and to what subjects the various kinds are appropriate. They
must not be given without supplement if they express disputed or
paradoxical views: we must, in that case, either put the supplement
first and make a maxim of the conclusion, e.g. you might say, ‘For
my part, since both unpopularity and idleness are undesirable, I
hold that it is better not to be educated’; or you may say this
first, and then add the previous clause. Where a statement, without
being paradoxical, is not obviously true, the reason should be
added as concisely as possible. In such cases both laconic and
enigmatic sayings are suitable: thus one might say what Stesichorus
said to the Locrians, ‘Insolence is better avoided, lest the
cicalas chirp on the ground’.
    The use of Maxims is appropriate only to elderly men, and in
handling subjects in which the speaker is experienced. For a young
man to use them is-like telling stories-unbecoming; to use them in
handling things in which one has no experience is silly and
ill-bred: a fact sufficiently proved by the special fondness of
country fellows for striking out maxims, and their readiness to air
them.
    To declare a thing to be universally true when it is not is most
appropriate when working up feelings of horror and indignation in
our hearers; especially by way of preface, or after the facts have
been proved. Even hackneyed and commonplace maxims are to be used,
if they suit one’s purpose: just because they are commonplace,
every one seems to agree with them, and therefore they are taken
for truth. Thus, any one who is calling on his men to risk an
engagement without obtaining favourable omens may quote
One omen of all is hest, that we fight for our fatherland.
    Or, if he is calling on them to attack a stronger force—
The War-God showeth no favour.
    Or, if he is urging people to destroy the innocent children of
their enemies—
Fool, who slayeth the father and leaveth his sons to avenge
him.
    Some proverbs are also maxims, e.g. the proverb ‘An Attic
neighbour’. You are not to avoid uttering maxims that contradict
such sayings as have become public property (I mean such sayings as
‘know thyself’ and ‘nothing in excess’) if doing so will raise your
hearers’ opinion of your character, or convey an effect of strong
emotion—e.g. an angry speaker might well say, ‘It is