"Know thyself. A maxim as pernicious as it is ugly. Whoever studies himself arrest his own development. A caterpillar who seeks to know himself would never become a butterfly"

This quote by Andre Gide is a warning against self-reflection and introspection. He suggests that the maxim "Know thyself" is in fact a pernicious and awful idea. He believes that if one spends excessive time studying themselves, they will be unable to progress and develop. He uses the metaphor of a caterpillar to illustrate this point, recommending that if a caterpillar were to focus excessive on understanding itself, it would never ever be able to become a butterfly. Gide is alerting against the dangers of over-introspection and suggests that it can be harmful to personal development. He thinks that it is necessary to be familiar with oneself, however that too much self-reflection can be destructive.