"The first aphorism I ever read was on the Quotable Quotes page of Reader's Digest,one of only two publications available in my house growing up. (The other was Time magazine.) I must have been about 8 years old when I came across the following sentence by Gerald Burrill, then the Episcopal bishop of Chicago: The difference between a rut and a grave is the depth."
"This is the awesome power of aphorisms, and it is what sets them apart from the trite sound bites of social-media influencers and the platitudes of self-help gurus: Aphorisms do not make you feel good about yourself. That Burrill saying doesn't offer an easy fix or a neat solution. In fact, it doesn't offer a fix or a solution at all. It is a great example of aphoristic intelligence at work. It makes us reconsider what we're doing, or not doing, with our lives."
A childhood encounter with Gerald Burrill's aphorism 'The difference between a rut and a grave is the depth' sparked a lifelong fascination with aphorisms. Compact sentences, puns, paradoxes, and clever turns of phrase can contain abundant meaning. Aphorisms resist easy fixes and tidy solutions, instead provoking reconsideration of personal choices and habits. Unlike trite social-media sound bites and self-help platitudes, aphorisms do not primarily soothe or induce complacency. Effective aphorisms confront, challenge, and stimulate critical thought. Familiar sayings that flatter or simplify, such as 'Love means never having to say you're sorry,' lack aphoristic intelligence because they avoid hard truths.
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