Maxim
Seek the middle way; avoid extremes.
“Virtue then is in a sense a mean state, since it certainly has an aptitude for aiming at the mean.”
Greek philosophy · Ancient (before 200 BCE)
Translation: public-domain translation (Chase)
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Too much and too little both lead us astray. Again and again the old teachers point to a balanced path between the extremes, harder to find than either, but steadier to walk.
Related expressions
“Perfect is the virtue which is according to the Constant Mean! Rare for a long time has been its practise among the people.”
“Avoiding both of these extremes, the middle way realized by the Tathagata — producing vision, producing knowledge — leads to calm, to direct knowledge, to self-awakening, to Unbinding.”
“Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?”
Score
Moral Rank 57.6 · Evidence E = 12.91
E = ln(1+2.80) + √2.80 + 3·2.80 + 1.5·1 = 12.91