Aphorisms

Early in my weblogging avocation I posted a list of maxims I try to live by and persuade others to consider.  Recently I came upon an interesting blog site, theartofmanliness.com. which had in one of its postings an article titled “20 Aphorisms That I Thought Were Dumb as a Boy But Now Appreciate as a Grown Man.”The authors of the site are Brett and Kate McKay. Some are common; others more obscure; but most are thought-provoking and I believe there is truth in them all. 
  

Since I don’t think aphorisms, by nature, have copywrite restrictions (or if they do they shouldn’t have) I take the liberty to share some of those from the McKay blog with you. Some of this list also came from readers who made comments; and some are from my own collection.  Surely you’ve heard at least a few of them if your mom or dad were doing their job right. If you are a mom or dad, or grandparent, you might consider picking one a day that resonates with you for a mealtime discussion with your child.

 

If you need further persuasion that you should read/share/apply some of them consider this comment attributed to philosopher Samuel Taylor Coleridge: “The largest and worthiest portion of our knowledge consists of aphorisms.”

 

A caveat: “The only way to read a [list]of aphorisms without being bored is to open it at random and, having found something that interests you, close the book and meditate.”    Prince Charles-Josef de Ligne (1735 – 1814), Austrian field marshal and writer

•         Be kind, for every man is fighting a hard battle.

•        Measure twice, cut once.

•         A place for everything and everything in its place

•        An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

•        If you lie down with dogs you wake up with fleas.

•         A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

•         You don’t rise to the occasion; you sink to your level of training.

•         Hunger is the best sauce.

•        If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got.

•         The way to be nothing is to do nothing.

•       Do what you’re doing [pay attention to what you’re supposed to be about instead of getting distracted].

•        Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.

•         A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.

•        A change is as good as a rest

•       A stitch in time saves nine.  [A variation is: Pay me now or pay me later--  meaning, do the maintenance now so you don’t have to replace the object before its time].

•        Strong wind doesn’t last for long.

•        If you chase two rabbits both will escape.

•         Hope for the best; be prepared for the worst.

•         The good Lord provides for every little bird, but he does not drop it into the nest.

•        The future is bought with the present.

•        Only the spoon knows what’s in the pot.

•         A ship in the harbor is safe; but that’s not what ships are built for.

•         A poor craftsman blames his tools.

•        Never point a gun at anything you don’t intend to shoot.

•        Time heals all wounds.   [or, time wounds all heels.]

•        From tiny acorns do mighty oak trees grow.

•       Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.

•         Onward ever; backward never.

•         If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. 

•        No matter how much the wind may howl, the mountain doesn’t move.

•        Enough is as good as a feast.

•         Love: The condition in which another's well being is essential to your own.

•        The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.

•         There’s no right way to do wrong.