You know the old saying "Know thyself"? I believe that the proverb roughly translates to this. When you're screwed you must quickly realize the fact that you're screwed. However, the issue is that in order to know whether or not you're currently screwed, you must have the experience of it beforehand.  If one has not already experienced being screwed, then they will either end up being incapable of realizing that they are in a screwed situation, or even if they do realize it, they will realize a step too late. Therefore, in order to know thyself, you must experience being screwed many times. In conclusion, the term 'Know thyself' roughly translates to "Be screwed as many times as possible’. However, what is the reason we are trying to listen to proverbs in the first place? Is it not precisely because we do not wish to be screwed? Not only is the proverb ‘Know thyself’ meaningless, but it also destroys the meaning of existence for proverbs themselves. You could also say that it is the most worthless proverb in the world.