Talk:Aphorism

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Wikipeda is not a Dictionary

Does this really belong here, or should it be moved to Wiktionary?--Boffy b 11:16, 2004 Aug 15 (UTC)

I think it is pretty encyclopedic, and that articles like this are a major strength of Wikipedia. It does need a little work, especially linking to similar articles, which I will start now.--Spalding 16:11, Apr 10, 2005 (UTC)

Well, then, you better get goin', then huh? GOOD LUCK, ye wiki-worker!--OleMurder 19:00, 31 May 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Can we please have a translation into English of the "excellent advice" contained in the dedication of the school of Salerno's collection of aphorisms?

Here's my quick translation of the Latin (I made this translation, so feel free to use it):

The whole school of Salerna writes to the king of the English.

If you wish for that unharmed thing, if you wish yourself to restore the sensible,

Lift these heavy concerns: trust the impious to get angry:

Forbear wine: dine less; let it not be vain for you

To rise after the courses: shun midday sleep:

Do not hold back your urine, nor strongly hold in your anus:

If you guard this good words, you will live for a long time.

Although this quote is stock full of aphorisms, I feel that there are other examples that could be used - examples in English. I am just a novice here, so I won't be making any changes.--Ernieefiii 05:08, 30 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

The section on Aphorisms in Law, I don't understand. (By the way: up until now I'd had no idea that Leonid Sukhurov was such an important aphorist that he should be cited every other line. Did we get a Sukhurov fan in here?)

It's spam, and has been deleted. The idea, of course, is that only the very most famous people are included here - rather than people being included here in the hopes of becoming famous as a result. - DavidWBrooks 16:15, 11 February 2006 (UTC)[reply]

He occasionally returns, by the way. If you see him, delete him - unless he should become hugely famous and worth of inclusion, of course. - DavidWBrooks 00:07, 15 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Nietzsche's Aphorism

Though I agree that the new aphorism is better known, it isn't presented by Nietzsche as an aphorism, it being a phrase from his book, Also sprach zarathustra. The previous came from his "Wanderer und sein Schatten", which is a large collection of aphorisms, and perhaps more suitable for selection. - HomoUniversalis

I removed it because of the key word tersely in the introductory paragraph, which it doesn't have. (32 words, two colons, a dash and internal quote marks! I've read pithier newspaper articles.) It's not not an aphorism - it's a philosophical statement.

The test of an aphorism is that a stranger can remember it almost word-perfect after one reading ("one man's meat is another man's poison") ... I defy anybody to quote this Nietzsche ramble without a chunk of practice. In fact, I had to read it a couple of times just to figure out what it meant.

If we want Nietzsche, "That which does not kill us makes us stronger" fits the bill in terms of conciseness and popularity. But I won't remove it again without agreement. It's obviously a judgement call. - DavidWBrooks 14:56, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Although I agree with the first definition, there can be debate on what is and what is not superfluous. I challenge anyone to pour the principle in that aphorism into a more concise sentence. Additionally, the description, here on wikipedia, of "Human, all too human", where the aphorism originates from rightly states that it is a collection of aphorisms. Regardless, if someone wants to change it into a "That which does not kill us makes us stronger", or another short aphorism, that's okay with me. HomoUniversalis 12:48, 19 March 2006 (UTC)

Secondhand Aphorisms

As usual with Wikipedia, I am impressed with this article and with the scholarly discussion emerging from it.

I propose a link to my website www.benandverse.com. It is a website with perhaps a difference, though hardly a distinction.

All my aphorisms are emphatically secondhand.

Google’s Directory describes them with extraordinary politeness:

John McCall's distillation of sayings from Benjamin Franklin's "Poor Richard's Almanac."

The website provides tables with a side-by-side comparison of Franklin’s magnificent prose with my latter day jingles. In fairness, my rhyming sound bites are mainly designed to persuade people to consider Franklin’s wisdom. (In any event, my “translation” was considered accurate enough to warrant a link from the Franklin Institute.)

There is also a new section (www.benandverse.com/writings/index.htm) on my website, “Phony Pearls of Fictitious Wisdom,” which offers more secondhand aphorisms. These are based on the I Ching. However, in this case, I don’t provide the rather lengthy originals for comparison on the website. For that reason, I doubt that they are distinctive enough to warrant a link. Most aphorisms are, after all, in some sense, derived.

It is a side-by-side comparison that is rare.

I’d consider it an honor to receive a link from the Wikipedia.

Wikipedia rightly desires to confirm the permanence of any link. The original website has persisted for years; I have instructed my executors that both the original website and this new addition shall remain unchanged until long after my death.

Sincerely,

John McCall [e-mail removed] 152.163.100.13 20:28, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Franklin's Sayings Arranged by Subject

In the section above, I recommended my website because I thought that the craft of creating aphorisms might be made more apparent by comparing one set of sayings with another. However, since one aphorist has no reputation, the comparison would seem to be of very limitted interest.

However, there is one remaining reason to propose a link. The website contains a very large number of sayings from Franklin (an aphorist of world-historical stature) arranged by subject with copious cross-references.

Please forgive me for my presumption in the article above.

John McCall

152.163.100.13 22:21, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No offense, but my opinion would be that Web sites containing aphorisms are so prevalent on the Web that we shouldn't link to any - they're easy to find. This isn't an aphorism collection, but an explanation. - DavidWBrooks 22:32, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

factitious/fictional

John "Hannibal" Smith is a fictional character... its not as if he's a collector of fictitious aphorisms (there /is/ a difference) so he should be labelled fictional.