Aphorist

An aphorism (from Greek ἀφορισμός: aphorismos, "delimitation", "distinction", "definition") can be a terse saying, expressing a general truth or principle, or it can be an astute observation.

An aphorism is spoken or written in a laconic and memorable form.

The term was first used in the of Hippocrates. The oft-cited first sentence of this work (see Ars longa, vita brevis) is:

Life is short, art long, opportunity fleeting, experience deceptive, judgement difficult.

The term was later applied to maxims of physical science, then statements of all kinds of philosophical, moral, or literary principles. In modern usage, an aphorism is generally understood to be a concise statement containing a subjective truth or observation, cleverly and pithily written.

A well-known example is:

Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Aphoristic collections, sometimes known as wisdom literature, have a prominent place in the canons of several ancient societies, such as the Sutra literature of India, the Biblical Ecclesiastes, Islamic Hadith, The Golden Verses of Pythagoras, Hesiod's Works and Days, the Delphic maxims, and Epictetus' Handbook. Aphoristic collections also make up an important part of the work of some modern authors. A 1559 oil–on–oak-panel painting, Netherlandish Proverbs (also called The Blue Cloak or The Topsy Turvy World) by Pieter Brueghel the Elder, artfully depicts a land populated with literal renditions of Flemish aphorisms (proverbs) of the day.

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