Some ideas keep turning up, in different centuries and different languages, from people who never met. This is a slow, careful collection of them: each maxim with its sources, ranked by how widely and independently humanity has arrived at it.
The 42
The 42 highest-ranked maxims
Of the maxims collected so far, 48 are shared by at least two independent traditions. The 42 highest-ranked of those are listed here; the other 6 appear under Emerging, along with ideas still waiting for a second tradition. This is an early collection, and the ranking will change as new sources are added.
| # | Maxim | Moral Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forgive, and keep forgiving. 6 quotes6 voices6 traditions5 periods | 100.0 |
| 2 | Tell the truth, or at least don't lie. 6 quotes6 voices5 traditions4 periods | 98.4 |
| 3 | Meet hatred with love and evil with good. 6 quotes5 voices5 traditions4 periods | 93.0 |
| 4 | Treat others as you would wish to be treated. 8 quotes6 voices5 traditions4 periods | 88.3 |
| 5 | Look to your own faults before judging others. 6 quotes5 voices5 traditions3 periods | 87.5 |
| 6 | Do what is right, even when you are afraid. 7 quotes7 voices6 traditions3 periods | 86.8 |
| 7 | Give thanks. 7 quotes7 voices6 traditions4 periods | 82.9 |
| 8 | Be merciful to every living being. 5 quotes5 voices4 traditions4 periods | 81.5 |
| 9 | Give freely; generosity enriches the giver. 5 quotes5 voices5 traditions3 periods | 80.2 |
| 10 | Speak kindly, or keep silent. 6 quotes5 voices5 traditions3 periods | 79.9 |
| 11 | Let your actions match your words. 5 quotes5 voices4 traditions3 periods | 78.7 |
| 12 | Remember that you will die, and live well today. 4 quotes4 voices4 traditions3 periods | 78.3 |
| 13 | Everything passes; hold things lightly. 5 quotes5 voices5 traditions3 periods | 76.9 |
| 14 | Be present: the here and now is where life happens. 6 quotes5 voices5 traditions3 periods | 75.9 |
| 15 | Be slow to anger; master yourself. 5 quotes5 voices4 traditions3 periods | 74.0 |
| 16 | Listen more than you speak. 5 quotes5 voices4 traditions3 periods | 73.5 |
| 17 | First, do no harm. 4 quotes4 voices4 traditions2 periods | 72.4 |
| 18 | Welcome the stranger. 4 quotes4 voices4 traditions3 periods | 71.6 |
| 19 | Seek peace, and pursue it. 6 quotes6 voices5 traditions3 periods | 71.5 |
| 20 | Choose your companions wisely. 4 quotes4 voices4 traditions2 periods | 70.9 |
| 21 | Make time for stillness. 5 quotes5 voices5 traditions3 periods | 70.3 |
| 22 | Find meaning in the struggle itself. 5 quotes5 voices5 traditions3 periods | 69.6 |
| 23 | Be humble; pride goes before a fall. 4 quotes4 voices4 traditions3 periods | 69.3 |
| 24 | Pursue what is meaningful, not what is merely profitable. 5 quotes5 voices4 traditions3 periods | 67.2 |
| 25 | Craving is the root of suffering. 5 quotes4 voices4 traditions3 periods | 66.9 |
| 26 | Do your work wholeheartedly and with skill. 7 quotes7 voices5 traditions3 periods | 66.4 |
| 27 | Be patient; endure, and let things ripen. 5 quotes5 voices4 traditions3 periods | 66.3 |
| 28 | Do what is just, even when it costs you. 5 quotes5 voices4 traditions3 periods | 65.6 |
| 29 | Keep your promises; let your yes mean yes. 4 quotes4 voices4 traditions3 periods | 65.2 |
| 30 | Admit your mistakes and put them right. 4 quotes4 voices4 traditions2 periods | 64.0 |
| 31 | There is a time for everything; give your days a rhythm. 4 quotes4 voices3 traditions3 periods | 61.0 |
| 32 | When you fall, get back up. 3 quotes3 voices3 traditions3 periods | 60.9 |
| 33 | Seek the middle way; avoid extremes. 4 quotes4 voices4 traditions1 period | 57.6 |
| 34 | Honour your father and your mother. 3 quotes3 voices3 traditions2 periods | 57.5 |
| 35 | Keep learning, all your life. 5 quotes3 voices3 traditions2 periods | 56.5 |
| 36 | Great things begin with small steps. 3 quotes3 voices3 traditions2 periods | 52.4 |
| 37 | Happiness is reality minus expectations. 6 quotes6 voices5 traditions2 periods | 51.9 |
| 38 | Ability grows with effort; measure yourself against who you were yesterday. 4 quotes4 voices3 traditions2 periods | 48.7 |
| 39 | Know yourself. 3 quotes3 voices3 traditions1 period | 48.6 |
| 40 | Your thoughts shape your life. 4 quotes4 voices4 traditions2 periods | 48.6 |
| 41 | People rise to their level of incompetence. 3 quotes3 voices3 traditions2 periods | 45.3 |
| 42 | Keep it simple. 4 quotes4 voices3 traditions2 periods | 45.1 |
Emerging
Maxims just outside The 42. Some rank just below the top; others are waiting for stronger backing from a second tradition. Each is marked with its reason, and any of them can join as new sources are found.
| # | Maxim | Moral Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping. 2 quotes2 voices2 traditions2 periodsranked just below the top 42 | 40.8 |
| 2 | Life contains suffering; begin by accepting it. 2 quotes2 voices2 traditions1 periodranked just below the top 42 | 40.6 |
| 3 | Leave things better than you found them. 3 quotes3 voices3 traditions2 periodsranked just below the top 42 | 40.2 |
| 4 | A few causes drive most results (the 80/20 rule). 4 quotes4 voices4 traditions2 periodsranked just below the top 42 | 38.8 |
| 5 | More choice does not always mean more happiness. 3 quotes3 voices3 traditions2 periodsranked just below the top 42 | 38.1 |
| 6 | Advantage tends to compound: those who have, get more. 3 quotes2 voices2 traditions1 periodranked just below the top 42 | 31.0 |