Aphorisms 

I was having lunch with BW, a longtime friend and fellow wanderer through new adventures. He said he liked the quotations I included in the May 1 issue, especially the one from Van Gogh: “I would rather fail than sit idle.”

We got to talking about some of our favorite pithy quotations – i.e., single-sentence aphorisms.

He said that one of his favorites is “It’s never too late, but it’s later than you think.”

I don’t know if I have ever heard it before, but I like it very much. And, of course, it’s especially meaningful as each year passes.

George Eliot said something similar: “It’s never too late to be what you might have been.”

Both quotes spring from the same observation about tempus fugit, but BW’s is better because it’s equally inspirational without making a promise that’s obviously false.

Thinking about this after lunch, I was inspired to give you these:

10 One-Sentence Quotations Worth Memorizing 

1. “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford

2. “A man’s reach should exceed his grasp.” – Robert Browning

3. “We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.” – Joseph Campbell

4. “No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.” – Robin Williams

5. “Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.” – Soren Kierkegaard

6. “Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.” – Mark Twain

7. “Politics is war without bloodshed, while war is politics with bloodshed.” – Mao Zedong

8. “Jealousy is the tribute mediocrity pays to genius.” – Fulton J. Sheen

9. “Be happy for this moment; this moment is your life.” – Omar Khayyám

10. “Whatever you are, be a good one.” – Abraham Lincoln