Aphorism
An aphorism is an original thought, spoken or written in a laconic (concise) and memorable form. Aphorism literally means a "distinction" or "definition", from Greek ἀφορισμός (aphorismós), which is from ἀπό (apo) and ὁρίζειν (horizein), meaning "from/to bound". The term was first used in the Aphorisms of Hippocrates. The oft-cited first sentence of this work (see Ars longa, vita brevis) is:
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Famous quotes containing the word aphorism:
“A good aphorism is too hard for the teeth of time and is not eaten up by all the centuries, even though it serves as food for every age: hence it is the greatest paradox in literature, the imperishable in the midst of change, the nourishment which—like salt—is always prized, but which never loses its savor as salt does.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
“Finding a thought for an aphorism is not hard. Putting a kink in its tail is the hard part.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)
“The lyric deals with love and sorrow, the aphorism with contradiction and deceit.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)