Gnomic poetry uses short, meaningful sayings in verse form to help people remember important ideas. The Greeks called these sayings "gnomes," a term from the Greek word γνωμικός, meaning "related to an opinion or saying." In the 16th century, Henry Peacham described a gnome as a statement about how people behave and what is right or wrong to do in daily life, expressed in a clear and concise way.

This type of poetry is part of a larger group of writings known as wisdom literature, which shares general truths about the world. These writings cover both spiritual and everyday topics, including moral advice and how people relate to each other in different social roles.

Ancient Greek gnomic literature

The gnomic poets of ancient Greece, who were active in the 6th century BC, wrote short, meaningful statements called maxims in verse form. These maxims were often collected into groups. In the 4th century BC, an orator named Lobon of Argos gathered some of these maxims, but his collection is no longer available today. One of the earliest examples of this type of writing is Hesiod’s Works and Days.

The most important gnomic poets included Theognis, Solon, Phocylides, Simonides of Amorgos, Demodocus, Xenophanes, and Euenus. Only fragments of their works remain today, except for Theognis, whose maxims were saved by a teacher around 300 BC. A moral poem once thought to be written by Phocylides is now known to have been created by a person of Jewish and Christian background in Alexandria. The ideas of the Seven Wise Men, to whom sayings like “Know thyself” and “Nothing in excess” were often linked, were closely connected to the work of these poets.

The gnomic poets expanded simple moral sayings into more detailed writings. Fragments of works by Solon, Euenus, and Mimnermus were found in the margins of manuscripts of Theognis, where they were sometimes mixed into the main text. Theognis included his moral teachings in elegies, and it is likely that other poets did the same. It is unlikely that any poetry existed that was made up entirely of maxims. The term “gnomic” was used for any poetry that gave advice on ethical matters. This type of writing directly influenced the development of moral philosophy. Thinkers like Pythagoras and Xenophanes may have started their careers as gnomic poets.

In ancient Greece, gnomic sayings were among the earliest forms of literature, known for their simplicity and moral lessons. Many of the ethical ideas in the works of famous dramatists, such as Sophocles and Euripides, were based on these short sayings. Not all ancient Greek maxims were serious; some were about pleasure or chivalry. The sayings of Demodocus of Leros were known for being humorous.

J. A. Symonds noted that the gnomic poets played a key role in the shift from the works of Homer and Hesiod to the plays and writings of later Greek thinkers in Athens.

Medieval and early modern gnomic literature

Gnomes are often found in the ancient writings of Arabia, Persia, and India, as well as in Anglo-Saxon poetry and Icelandic staves. Early Welsh gnomic poems are similar to the Anglo-Saxon examples. The priamel, a short and wise type of poem popular in Germany from the 12th to the 16th centuries, belongs to the gnomic class. Hans Rosenblut, a poet known as the lyrical goldsmith of Nuremberg, was especially successful in writing priamels during the 15th century. Gnomic literature, which includes works like Maxims I and Maxims II, is a type of Medieval Literature in England.

The gnomic style has sometimes appeared in the works of poets who shared simple ideas, such as Francis Quarles in England and Gui de Pibrac in France. Pibrac's famous Quatrains, published in 1574, were widely read across Europe. These poems were intentionally written to resemble the Greek gnomic writers from the 6th century BC.

For a long time, the works of Gui de Pibrac were often grouped together with those of Antoine Faber (or Favre) (1557–1624) and Pierre Mathieu (1563–1621).