aphorism

An oft-cited aphorism at BLS holds that a glass of water is never half full or half empty: it is 50% water and 50% air.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

The business of America is mainly business, according to the aphorism attributed to President Calvin Coolidge.

From Barron's ● Feb. 20, 2026

I have another aphorism, this one related to automobiles, to keep in mind when planning your retirement: “Objects in the mirror may be closer than they appear.”

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 5, 2026

In an aphorism sometimes attributed to Leo Tolstoy, sometimes to John Gardner, all literature relies on one of two plots: A person goes on a journey or a stranger comes to town.

From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2025

Always, previously, in an emergency we could throw out something in Greek, under the guise of an aphorism or quotation.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Wittgenstein’s central thesis is bold and bracing, while his gnomic aphorisms invite multiple, contradictory interpretations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 18, 2025

In Atwood’s first novel, she exists only through the viewpoint of June and most often as the source of aphorisms.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2025

Mostly, it’s a bunch of well-trodden aphorisms, including “Don’t think, just jump,” “Have faith,” and “There’s darkness before the dawn.”

From Slate ● Apr. 23, 2024

With commanding aphorisms and adages, Kalunga tempers Zau’s need for immediate answers.

From New York Times ● Apr. 22, 2024

He found the stricken rider distracting himself from his pain by firing off aphorisms from Ralph Waldo Emerson—“Old Waldo”—at the nurses.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand