I've always been fascinated by aphorisms, maxims, proverbs, and those sorts of things. What is it that makes them so enduring, so satisfying, and so seemingly true? Why are we attracted to this form of expression moreso than longer and better-argued prose? Do things merely seem more true simply because they are wittily expressed, and if so, is that a good thing? (PG's recent essay had interesting things to say about this.)
Some interesting aphorisms from the master La Rochefoucauld:
- "In the misfortune of even our best friends, there is something that does not displease us."
- "Old men delight in giving good advice as a consolation for the fact that they can no longer set bad examples"
- "No persons are more frequently wrong than those who will not admit they are wrong."
- "We promise according to our hopes and perform according to our fears."
- "A refusal of praise is a desire to be praised twice."
- "We only confess our little faults to persuade people that we have no big ones."
- "Almost all our faults are more pardonable than the methods we resort to to hide them."
My theory is that a good aphorism merely gives us "2+2", which prompts us to test it and conclude "4". This is much more persuasive than spoon-feeding us "2+2=4" in the first place, because we naturally trust our own conclusions more than the conclusions of others.
Some interesting aphorisms from the master La Rochefoucauld:
- "In the misfortune of even our best friends, there is something that does not displease us."
- "Old men delight in giving good advice as a consolation for the fact that they can no longer set bad examples"
- "No persons are more frequently wrong than those who will not admit they are wrong."
- "We promise according to our hopes and perform according to our fears."
- "A refusal of praise is a desire to be praised twice."
- "We only confess our little faults to persuade people that we have no big ones."
- "Almost all our faults are more pardonable than the methods we resort to to hide them."
My theory is that a good aphorism merely gives us "2+2", which prompts us to test it and conclude "4". This is much more persuasive than spoon-feeding us "2+2=4" in the first place, because we naturally trust our own conclusions more than the conclusions of others.