Herbs are the leaves of plants. They are not dry flecks of dust that come in bottles from the grocery store. Your garden wants you to use fresh leaves while you can, and at season's end, to dry the rest. Your garden hopes you will never eat flecks of dust.
Thyme, sage, mint, and marjoram grow easily in clay pots. Rosemary insists on being in the ground. Give it a sunny spot, and stand back.
You only need a single plant of all these herbs to keep you happy. It's hard to have too much basil, though. Three to five plants per person isn't excessive. You'll need it for anything Italian, of course. Pesto (with fresh parsley and mint) will use up a lot.
But it's healthy for people to behave sometimes in ways so sensual they're obscene. On those occasions, make up a big salad for yourself and a loved one. Use a few orange segments, a little red onion, and a huge pile of fresh basil. Yeah--heh heh. A whole salad of basil leaves. You'll feel a little obscene, yes, but it's okay. Pruning causes the basil plants to branch and become fuller and more vigorous. In other words, the basil plants like it.
If the topics aren't visible on the left, try this.