Maxim

A maxim is a variety of aphorism, a terse formulation of a moral principle, a rule of conduct or an ethical norm that has the character of a generalised precept for living. A maxim is distinguished by clarity of thought, logical completeness and a prescriptive orientation: it proclaims a certain ethical law as a guide to action. The genre of the maxim developed especially in the French moralist tradition (La Rochefoucauld), where short, polished judgements about human nature acquired the status of an independent literary genre. Maxims may form part of a literary work or exist as separate miniatures of philosophical-ethical content. The maxim borders on the sententia, the aphorism and moral reflection and is studied as a phenomenon on the border of literature, philosophy and ethics that unites artistic form with didactic content.