Category: Aphorisms by Others
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For the New Year: Looking Away Shall Be My Only Negation
One of the elements in my personal liturgy is a reading of the following passage every January 1st. I must have begun the practice in the mid-70s. My copy of The Gay Science was purchased in Boston and is dated 15 September 1974. (You mean to tell me that when you buy books, you do…
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Style and Thought
I sing the praises of Joseph Joubert, but here is a very bad aphorism of his: The style is the thought itself. (Notebooks, p. 44) This is an exaggeration so absurd that not even a Frenchman can get away with it. Much, much better is this brilliancy from the pen of Schopenhauer: Style is the…
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Advice for Contemporary French Philosophers
Joseph Joubert, The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, p. 26: When a thought gives birth to obscurity, it must be rejected, renounced, abandoned. Would that contemporary French scribblers would heed this rule penned by a Frenchman in 1796. But they may not be capable of heeding it since Clarity of mind is not given in all…
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An Ambiguous Translation from Giacomo Leopardi (1798-1837)
Nessun maggior segno d'essere poco filosofo e poco savio, che volere savia e filosofica tutta la vita. There's no greater sign of being a poor philosopher and wise man than wanting all of life to be wise and philosophical. (Giacomo Leopardi, Pensieri, tr. W. S. Di Piero, Baton Rouge: Lousiana State University Press, 1981, p.…
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Nascimur uno modo, multis morimur
We are born in one way, we die in many ways. Commentary here at AudioLatinProverbs.com. (A tip of the hat to Seldom Seen Slim)
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Karl Kraus on the Art of the Aphorism
Beim Wort Genommen, p. 132: Einen Aphorismus zu schreiben, wenn man es kann, ist oft schwer. Viel leichter ist es, einen Aphorismus zu schreiben, wenn mann es nicht kann. It is often difficult to write an aphorism, even for those with the ability. It is much easier when one lacks the ability. (tr. BV)
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Karl Kraus on the Two Kinds of Writers
Karl Kraus (1874-1936), Beim Wort Genommen (Muenchen: Koesel Verlag, 1955), p. 111: Es gibt zwei Arten von Schriftstellern. Solche, die es sind, und solche die es nicht sind. Bei den ersten gehören Inhalt und Form zusammen wie Seele und Leib, bei den zweiten passen Inhalt und Form zusammen wie Leib und Kleid. There are two kinds…
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Karl Kraus on Blogging
Karl Kraus, Beim Wort Genommen, p. 124: Warum schreibt mancher? Weil er nicht genug Charakter hat, nicht zu schreiben. Why do many write? Because they don't have enough character not to write. (tr. BV)
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Having It Both Ways
Karl Kraus, Beim Wort Genommen, p. 194: Wenn einer sich wie ein Vieh benommen hat, sagt er: Man ist doch nur ein Mensch! Wenn er aber wie ein Vieh behandelt wird, sagt er: Man ist doch auch ein Mensch! A person who has behaved in a beastly manner excuses himself by saying, "I am only…
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Amiel on Duty
“Duty has the virtue of making us feel the reality of a positive world while at the same time detaching us from it.” (See here.) This is a penetrating observation, and a nearly perfect specimen of the aphorist’s art. It is terse, true, but not trite. The tip of an iceberg of thought, it invites…
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An Aphorism of Giacomo Leopardi and a Comment
Giacomo Leopardi (1798 – 1837) was just a name to me until Michael Gilleland inspired me to read some of his work. Here is an aphorism from Giacomo Leopardi, Pensieri, Bilingual Edition, trans. W. S. Di Piero (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1981), p. 105: Men are shamed by the insults they receive, not…