Limits as the ultimate goal

What we can learn from the Ancient Greeks

“Don’t limit yourself”, “Push beyond your limits”, “Τhere are no limits to what you can achieve”.

These slogans are everywhere. Short videos, podcasts, inspirational talks, and workplace culture all urge us to overcome our limits because we are told, “Success has no limits.”

We live in a world obsessed with pushing boundaries and limits. Modern society idolises exceeding limits, embracing a culture of overachievement. Even though the consequences on our mental and physical health are many, the message is clear: limits are there to be overcome, and achievement comes only when you go over the boundaries.

But has it always been this way?

Greek philosophy: Limits as the Foundation of a Good Life

“Unlimited” has not always been the most desired goal. The ancient Greek idiom “Mέτρον Άριστον” (moderation is best), which was said by the ancient philosopher Kleobulus of Lindos, reminds us of the importance of limits. The idea of μέτρον, which means proper portion or measure, wasn’t about mediocrity or settling for less. Instead, it was about knowing and respecting limits, not overdoing and losing balance. In his work Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle argues that virtue is found in the “golden mean” between excess and deficiency. For Aristotle, moderation wasn’t passive, but active. It meant controlling yourself and making deliberate choices. He believed this was the key to true happiness (eudaimonia). Aristotle also emphasised the importance of limits even in economics. According to him, the purpose of the economic activity was not the unlimited profit, but the achievement of a good and balanced life, guided by moderation and virtue. The production of goods to fulfil actual needs was natural and fair, whereas producing goods to only satisfy infinite desires was unnatural and could result in moral and social harm.

The principle of “moderation is best” was more than self-control. It significantly impacted Greek art, politics, and even their understanding of the universe. In terms of aesthetics, μέτρον was a measure of beauty, harmony, and proportion in music, sculpture, and architecture. Politically, it was about justice, while ethically, it was the antidote to the arrogance of overstepping human beings' limits; this action is called hubris.

Nemesis: The Consequences of Overstepping Limits

In ancient Greek philosophy, when people commit hubris, they are confronted by Nemesis, who is not simply a punishment but a force that restores balance. The myth of King Erysichton, mentioned by Giorgos Kallis in his book “Limits: Why Malthus was wrong and why environmentalists should care”, is one of the most famous Greek myths warning against disrespect for nature. Erysichton was a king of Thessaly who, despite the repeated warning from the goddess of agriculture, Demeter, decided to cut down a holy forest. He said that he needed the wood to build a dining hall. As punishment, Demeter made him so hungry that he could never be satisfied. No matter how much he ate, he was still starving. To be able to feed himself, he sold all his fortune, even his daughter and at the end, as nothing was enough to feed himself, he ate his own body.

The myth of Erysichthon is a powerful allegory of the cost of violating nature. The lesson it teaches is still relevant today: when humans act with arrogance and ignore the limits of nature, sooner or later, they upset their natural world, which can lead to their downfall. Perhaps one of the greatest expressions of hubris in human history is the fundamental requirement of capitalism for endless growth on a finite planet.

Greek mythology is full of such warnings. The myths of Icarus, Phaethon, and Niobe are some other examples that show people who faced the consequences of going beyond their limits.

Limits as Guides to Excellence

As we can understand, limits, for the ancient Greeks, were not obstacles but guidance. They pointed the way to ἀρετή (arete), which represents excellence or virtue. Excellence was not a matter of surpassing all limits. On this basis, arete was not about overcoming all limits but acting according to one's nature as well as one could. It was about striving for personal excellence and moral virtue. Even the gods had their domains and respected the limits set by fate (Moira). The biggest danger was forgetting this command and trying to claim more than one's share.

This is in contrast to our modern notion of "no limits". Today, boundless aspirations and constant barrier-breaking on the personal, professional, and societal levels tend to be linked with greatness. For the ancient Greeks, however, attempting to excel within the parameters of human and natural realms was the actual greatness.

Of course, I’m not saying that the ancient Greeks were perfect or that we should adopt their ways without questioning them. What I’m trying to say is that the way that ancient Greeks approached limits challenges our current obsession with the unlimited and offers us an opportunity to rethink the place of limits in our lives. What if, instead of viewing boundaries as a sign of less success, we approach them as a way of reducing not only environmental challenges, but also the stress and anxiety that stem from constant striving for accomplishment and perpetual personal and economic growth?

In a world so captivated by the idea of exceeding limits, perhaps the true individual and societal success is when we recognise that we have reached a sufficient point.The ancient wisdom of μέτρον encourages us not to shrink our lives, but to discover that true abundance might can be found within the boundaries we've been taught to overcome.

Article written by Ioanna Mokka