Wednesday, February 06, 2013

Aphorisms from A to Z

I've got my hands on a copy of Jay Friedenberg's new book, Aphorisms from A to Z: A User's Guide to Life.
It is one of the most comprehensive and qualitative sources of sayings from any single author, consisting of over 2,500 different aphorisms on more than 600 topics. The book is intended to inspire and serve as a practical guide to living a better life.It starts with an overview of aphorisms, describing what they are in relation to other sayings such as proverbs and quotations. Also included in the introduction are interviews with contemporary aphorists and aphorist scholars, describing the role that this ancient literary form now serves today. The book concludes with lists of both classical and current aphorists for the interested reader who wants to pursue more.
I like this one, which just leaped out at me:
The devil also makes work for busy hands.
Indeed. I think the temptations for the busy are different than those for the idle. But I have certainly seen busy people behaving badly.

An aphorism says things with:
few words, much pith.

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