Fragment 112
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σωφρονεῖν ἀρετὴ μεγίστη καὶ σοφίη ἀληθέα λέγειν καὶ ποιεῖν κατὰ φύσιν ἐπαΐοντας
Thinking well is the greatest virtue; and wisdom is to act and speak what is true, perceiving things according to their nature (Kahn).
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Commentary
[ Hide commentary ]Some doubt the authenticity of this fragment, claiming that is just a paraphrase of other fragments. Punctuation is also a problem: Kahn reads, "Thinking well is the greatest excellence and wisdom: (thinking well is) acting and speaking what is true, perceiving things according to their nature." I think that Heraclitus is redefining two terms of popular usage: ἀρετὴ ('virtue') and σοφίη ('wisdom').