Definition: “a concise statement of a principle; a terse formulation of a truth or sentiment” (Merriam-Webster)

Book: James Geary, Geary’s Guide to the World’s Great Aphorists (NY: Bloomsbury, 2007)

Geary’s book (437pp.) is a compendium of famous speakers and writers who have authored sentences containing information worth knowing or pondering. Each author is introduced with their dates and a brief biography and then a listing of their “essential aphorisms.” The book has eight chapters which classify the authors according to subject matter or area of expertise. These are “Comics, Critics and Satirists” (59pp.), “Icons and Iconoclasts” (41pp.), “Moralists, Major and Minor” (72pp.), “Novelists and Playwrights” (37pp.), “Old Souls and Oracles” (41pp.), “Painters and Poets” (56pp.), “Philosophers and Theorists” (41pp.), “Strange Beasts” (35pp.). The book ends with two indices, an “Index of Aphorists” and an “Index of Themes.”

“Strange Beasts”

“Some aphorists resist easy categorization,” says Geary (p.356). Nineteen authors are included in this chapter.¹ Here we look at three of these writers and comment upon only two each of their aphorisms.

Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914)

Bierce was a U.S. citizen who had fought in the Civil War. “In 1880, Bierce began writing a column for the Wasp newspaper called ‘The Devil’s Dictionary’.”

Aphorism, n. Predigested wisdom.

It seems there are two ways Bierce’s definition of aphorism may be taken or understood. One is that an aphorism represents raw knowledge/information that someone has analyzed and put forth to guide others. Another is that an aphorism imparts potential wisdom dependent on the hearer’s (or reader’s) own interpretation. Either way, it’s clear that Bierce associates aphorism with wisdom.

Day, n. A period of twenty-four hours, mostly misspent.

One finds humor in this definition by Bierce, but also truth. There is something wrong or out of order in much human action. Why? One might think of the Christian doctrine of original sin, or the number one Noble Truth of Buddhism that ‘life is suffering.’ Also, there are psychological explanations of human misbehavior, explored in depth by Freud and Jung. A question needs to be asked: how much evil is too much?

Diogenes (404-323 B.C.)

Diogenes was a Greek philosopher who “was captured at sea and sold into slavery.” “The only worthwhile philosophy, he believed, was one that helped people live a good life in the here and now.”

Practice makes perfect.

Perfection is a concept of a future state that is to be attained. If one cannot reach perfect status, one at least wants to come as close to perfect as possible. Practice, trying out the particular action requisite for the desired goal, doing it over and over, will lead to perfection, said Diogenes.

To own nothing is the beginning of happiness.

Diogenes herein captures an ideal of much philosophy, political thought and religious teaching. Privately owned property is a practical fact throughout the world, but philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes and David Hume reasoned that property rights were not part of the natural, original state of humankind, but arose in conjunction with the origin of cities and states. In the realm of political theory, Karl Marx’s writings criticizing capitalism led to communism in some countries, wherein the state, rather than individuals, owns and distributes goods. In primitive Christianity, community property was favored over personal property, a practice which is maintained somewhat among the clergy in churches, but especially in monasteries. The founder of Buddhism himself cast away all attachment to things and counselled non-attachment to followers. It does seem that ownership entails responsibility, which carries along many problems. The planet’s population needs the planet’s resources which involves issues of justice and equity. A person who owns nothing would need others to provide for him or her and to be happy would first, be meek and humble.

Franz Kafka (1883-1924)

Kafka was a citizen of Austria and Czechoslovakia and wrote short stories, novels, diaries, letters and essays in the German language. Kafka’s writings, for the most part, were not published until after his death. He worked for a state insurance institute until illness prevented this. “Many of Kafka’s afflictions–migraines, insomnia, boils–seem to have been brought on by anxiety.” He contracted tuberculosis in 1917.

The true way leads along a tightrope, which is not stretched aloft but just above the ground. It seems designed more to trip one than to be walked along.

That existence takes place on a tightrope is a truism. Death and lesser hurts occur in young and old. This aphorism reflects the harshness of Kafka’s life. There is also a spiritual dimension to the saying which suggests moral rightness, endurance and passing tests or obstacles. One is reminded of a saying of Jesus – “enter by the narrow gate . . . because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life” (Matt 7:13f NKJV).

Beyond a certain point there is no return. This point has to be reached.

Prima facie, one objects to this aphorism because reaching a point where you can’t turn around seems dangerous and certainly limiting with respect to one’s options. Yet Kafka says one must get there. What does his aphorism mean? It’s a way of saying there are crises in life and decisions to be made and sustained. “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”² “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.”³ Upon deeper inspection, Kafka is here advising – ‘make a commitment.’

Notes

1. The other sixteen authors in Geary’s chapter, “Strange Beasts” are Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, Malcom De Chazal, E.M. Cioran, Charles Cales Colton, Emily Dickinson, Vilhelm Ekelund, Paul Eluard (& Benjamin Peret), Ramon Gomez De La Serna, Friedrich Nietzsche, Blaise Pascal, Antonio Porchia, Ezra Pound, Kozma Prutkov, Arthur Schopenhauer, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Patience Worth.
2. Yogi Berra, The Yogi Book (NY: Workman, 1998), p. 48
3. Matt 13:45f (NAB)