Aphorisms

I've always considered the distilling of a complex thought into as few words as possible both challenging and rewarding. I even enjoy the sound of the word to describe this distillation, this honing of the mind: aphorism. And when I happen to come up with one, I am little-boy proud of myself, and wrap it carefully in mental tissue paper and put it in a little box in one corner of my mind. Every now and then I enjoy taking them out and looking at them. And while a box of aphorisms, like a box of chocolates, is best appreciated one piece at a time, here is a batch I hope you might enjoy at your leisure:

No amount of rationality can sway the truly deluded.

There is nothing more inspiring than large groups of people behaving nobly--and nothing more frightening than large groups of people behaving badly.

Kindness is a priceless gift which costs the giver nothing.

There are those writers who write of romance from experience, and those who write from hope.

Getting to know someone really well is difficult. Getting to know yourself really well is impossible.

Compliments are the showers that make the ego grow.

I cannot prevent the past's being gone forever, but I can deeply resent it.

The only way to avoid the many inconveniences and problems associated with "getting old" is to die before you get there.

The price of the future is the loss of the past.

Each day is a blank sheet of paper. Write often, write large, and use crayons.

We read not so much to learn about others as to learn about ourselves.

"Now" is the nanosecond separating past from future.

Fame and fortune never make the first move.

The mirror lies. The heart tells the truth.

The major problem with zealots and bigots is that they confuse having strong beliefs with being right.

The seeds of kindness can grow in the harshest environments.

Without sorrow, how could we fully appreciate joy?

Saying "he passed away" rather than "he died" is like shooting a gun through a pillow.

Life is a dream from which too many are too soon awakened.

Being ignorant is not a crime. Being stupid is.

Small minds are the petri dishes in which the germs of hatred thrive.

Dorien's blogs are posted by 10 a.m. Central time every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Please take a moment to visit his website (http://www.doriengrey.com) and, if you enjoy these blogs, you might want to check out Short Circuits: a Life in Blogs (http://bit.ly/m8CSO1 )