The Strange Case of Patience Worth
I am indebted to Amos Oliver Doyle for bringing the aphorisms of Patience Worth to my attention. Hers is a strange tale, and her aphorisms are stranger still…
Patience Worth was born in England in 1649, and travelled to America with some of the early English settlers when she was in her thirties. By her own [...]
In Praise of Reader’s Digest
In so many of the posts and emails I’ve received, I’ve been amazed to read how many people cite Reader’s Digest as the place where they first encountered aphorisms; usually, like me, without having the faintest idea what an aphorism is or that this form of literature even existed. In the spirit of Reader’s Digest, [...]
Short, but not sweet
In a review of my book on About.com, John M. Formy-Duval paraphrases an apology from Mark Twain for writing a lengthy missive:
“I’m sorry this letter is so long, but I did not have time to make it shorter.”
Brevity is, of course, the first law of aphorisms, and this citation reminded me of one of journalism’s [...]
Short, but not sweet
In a review of my book on About.com, John M. Formy-Duval paraphrases an apology from Mark Twain for writing a lengthy missive:
“I’m sorry this letter is so long, but I did not have time to make it shorter.”
Brevity is, of course, the first law of aphorisms, and this citation reminded me of one of journalism’s [...]
On Marxisms
Curiously, another cousin of mine, Stephen, (What is it with cousins anyway? You don’t hear from them for years, and then suddenly they start emailing you their favorite sayings…) sent along his favorite Groucho Marxism:
Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.
I love Groucho. [...]
On Marxisms
Curiously, another cousin of mine, Stephen, (What is it with cousins anyway? You don’t hear from them for years, and then suddenly they start emailing you their favorite sayings…) sent along his favorite Groucho Marxism:
Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.
I love Groucho. [...]
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