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Posts Tagged ‘Aphorisms’

Iamblichus: The Pythagorean Aphorisms

July 18th, 2011 1 comment

THE SYMBOLIC APHORISMS
OF PYTHAGORAS

Iamblichus gathered thirty-nine of the symbolic sayings of Pythagoras and interpreted them. These were translated from the Greek by Thomas Taylor. In the following ten sayings of Pythagoras the interpretations following are provided by Iambichus, circa 300 CE … Read more…

Wisdom Books: Wit & Wisdom From Poor Richard’s Almanack By Benjamin Franklin

February 3rd, 2011 4 comments

“Poor Richard’s Almanack (sometimes Almanac) was a yearly almanac published by Benjamin Franklin, who adopted the pseudonym of “Poor Richard” or “Richard Saunders” for this purpose.

Franklin, the American inventor, statesman, and publisher, achieved success with Poor Richard’s Almanack. Almanacks were very popular books in colonial America, with people in the colonies using them for the mixture of seasonal weather forecasts, practical household hints, puzzles, and other amusements they offered.  Poor Richard’s Almanack was popular for all of these reasons, and also for its extensive use of wordplay, with many examples derived from the work surviving in the contemporary American vernacular.”

~ Wikipedia

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Wisdom Books: The Art Of Worldly Wisdom By Baltasar Gracián

January 20th, 2011 2 comments

“The Art of Worldly Wisdom is a book by Baltasar Gracián y Morales (a.k.a Baltasar Gracián). It is a collection of maxims. Oráculo manual y arte de prudencia was written in 1637, and became popular throughout Europe. The book is a collection of 300 paragraphs on various topics giving advice and guidance on how to live fully, advance socially, and be a better person.”

~ Wikipedia

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Words Of Wisdom From An Old Farmer

December 9th, 2010 3 comments

I never knew that old Macdonald could be so wise:

1. Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.

2. Keep skunks and bankers at a Distance.

3. Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

4. A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.

5. Words that soak into your ears are whispered…not yelled.

6. Meanness don’t jes’ happen overnight.

7. Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.

8. Do not corner something that you know is meaner’n you.

9. It don’t take a very big person to carry a grudge.

10. You cannot unsay a cruel word.

11. Every path has a few puddles.

12. When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.

13. The best sermons are lived, not preached.

14. Most of the stuff people worry about ain’t never gonna happen anyway.

15. Don’t judge folks by their relatives.

16. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

17. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll enjoy it a second time.

18. Don’t interfere with somethin’ that ain’t botherin you none.

19. Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.

20. If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin’.

21. Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.

22. The biggest troublemaker you’ll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from The mirror every mornin’.

23. Always drink upstream from the herd.

24. Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.

25. Lettin’ the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin’ it back in.

26. If you get to thinkin’ you’re a person of some influence, try orderin’ somebody else’s dog around.

27. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.

28. Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he’s too old to fight, he’ll jus’ kill you…

~ Proverbs From A Farmer

Words Of Wisdom: The Simple And Humble Aphorisms Of Marty Rubin

June 15th, 2010 7 comments

The great American poet Walt Whitman was a shining influence for Marty Rubin, who now produces great wisdom of his own in the form of aphorisms

My like-minded friend, Marty Rubin who is also known as nothingprofound on BlogCatalog, is a man of pure wisdom and creator of thought-provoking aphorisms which are, despite his alias, nothing but profound.

So without further ado, here I shall present you with a select few of Marty’s words of wisdom:

Whenever I do nothing I feel I’ve accomplished a lot.

What variety is to life, contradiction is to the mind.

The flea that doubts doesn’t jump nearly as high.

Water flows because it’s willing.

Looking in the mirror is seeing what other people see.

If it’s work you’re trying too hard.

To hate everything is to be wounded by everything.

The old philosophers knew so little; that’s why they were so wise.

The air lets the arrow pass right through.

In the wind, more leaves tremble than any theory can account for.

If the light’s not in you, you’re in the dark.

Someone told me the world is round, but I’m checking it out for myself.

Please take the time to visit Marty’s blogs Out Of Context: pieces of a life and Aphorism of the Day to sample more of his delightful aphorisms.