A Word of Advise

The most profound or exciting idea you come across in your reading will often seem lifeless when you return to it after an interval, just words printed on paper. Memorizing it by rote will usually bring back some of the old lustre, but to really bring it to life you must acquire it; that is you must remember it in such a way that you can call it up almost as effortlessly as you call up everyday words when you open your mouth to speak. The way to acquire an idea is to memorize it–preferably in your natural speaking style, or at least in words that feel comfortable to you–and then repeatedly and at intervals dig it out of memory and say it either out loud, or to yourself. In a surprisingly short time you will find these "acquired" ideas springing to your mind at the appropriate time; and they will come clothed in words should you want to express them.

In Praise of Quotation

It is a good thing for an uneducated man to read books of quotations.

Sir Winston Churchill

The wisdom of the wise and the experience of the ages are perpetuated by quotations.

Benjamin Disraeli

I always have a quotation for everything. It saves original thinking.

Dorothy Sayers

Aphorisms give you more for your time and money than any other literary form.

Louis Dudek

Someone who can write aphorisms should not fritter away his time writing essays.

Karl Kraus

An aphorism is the pithy packaging of deep wisdom. It is the consequence of a long process of analysis. It forces the reader to wrestle with it and to be creative with it.

A proverb is a short sentence based on long experience.

Cervantes