Technique
Gnome
From Greek gnome: thought, maxim. Gnomic poetry (Theognis, Hesiod) was a discrete genre in archaic Greece; the gnome reappears as a structural unit in elegy and didactic verse.
Definition
A pithy, sententious maxim or aphorism, especially one drawn from classical or proverbial wisdom.
Example
'Know thyself' (gnomikon); 'Nothing in excess' — gnomic sayings embedded in Greek lyric and drama.