Sapere Aude

Dare to know.

Two words, and a lot of people have built their lives around them. They started out as advice to a young man who kept putting things off.

What sapere aude means

Sapere means "to be wise," and before that, "to taste" or "to have sense." Aude is the command form of audere, "to dare." So "dare to be wise," usually rendered "dare to know." The word "dare" matters. Knowing takes some nerve, because it means admitting you didn't know before.

Horace said it first

The line comes from the Roman poet Horace, Epistles 1.2, line 40, a verse letter to a young friend named Lollius. The fuller passage runs dimidium facti qui coepit habet: sapere aude, incipe. "He who has begun has half done. Dare to be wise. Begin."

Read in context, Horace isn't talking about the life of the mind in some lofty way. He's talking about procrastination. He compares the man who keeps postponing the right way to live to a farmer waiting for the river to finish flowing past so he can cross. The river doesn't stop. Start.

That's the part people skip, and it's the best part.

How Kant made it famous

In 1784 the philosopher Immanuel Kant wrote a short essay answering the question "What is Enlightenment?" His answer: enlightenment is leaving behind a self-imposed immaturity, the habit of letting others do your thinking. He gave it a motto, Sapere aude!, "Have the courage to use your own understanding."

After Kant, the phrase became a sort of banner for independent thought. Plenty of universities and schools have put it on their crests since.

How to pronounce it

Classical: SAH-peh-reh OW-deh. "Aude" rhymes with "loud-eh." In Church Latin you'll hear SAH-peh-reh AW-deh. Both are fine.

Using it in training

Learn why the program works instead of just following it. Read the book on the lift you do most. Film a set and actually watch it. Most plateaus aren't a strength problem. They're a knowing problem.

Using it at work

Don't borrow your opinions. When a number gets quoted in a meeting, go find where it came from. Ask the question that makes you look like you don't know, because usually half the room doesn't either. And then do what Horace said: begin. Research is easy to hide behind.

Using it when you travel

Read one real book about a place before you go. Not a list of top 10 spots. A history. Rome means a lot more when you know who built what and why. Then, when you get there, talk to people. Ask the waiter what he'd order.

Why it's on a shirt

Curiosity is a practice, not a mood. A shirt is a decent daily reminder to read the hard book and ask the question.

It's on the men's Helm tee and the women's Helm tee, if you'd like to wear it.