Quotes, Aphorisms, Adages, Maxims and Wise Sayings
I often use quotes in my workbooks, training and presentations, to add to the content as well as to reinforce that others have had some of the same thoughts we’re discussing–and often those thoughts were expressed thousands of years ago. There is nothing new under the sun. That quote is from Ecclesiastes 1:9 in the Old Testament of the Bible.
I wanted the rotating quote you see on this site, because it allows me to use the adages, maxims, aphorisms and wise sayings I’ve collected over the years. One of these days I’m going to publish them as a collection of favorites. What I want to avoid is using only one-liners that while quotable, do not always reflect the richness of thought that a longer text can express. There are plenty of witticisms and formulaic motivational quotes floating around in books, magazines, email and the internet–and I enjoy many of them. But, sometimes I need more encouragement, amusement or wisdom than I can get in one or two sentences. For example, the books authored by King Solomon have given us many one-liners, such as, “…there is nothing new under the sun.” But his thoughts around that, while not likely to be quoted, reflect the frustration and even despair that many of us have felt at some point in our personal and professional lives. This is from the New International Version of the Bible:
What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.
There is always a temptation to pare lengthy writing down to one or two memorable phrases. However, you have likely resented someone taking something you’ve said and using one sentence of it to represent all that you meant. When you read a quote that sparks your interest, do some research to find out the context of the quote: The number rule for quoting is to know the context. (The second number one rule is to attribute your quote correctly.) Try to get the book or article and read the material before and after the one or two sentences you liked. If you found one line to be informational, inspirational or insightful, you may find even more to enjoy in an entire paragraph, page or chapter.
Do you have a favorite quote? Is there a paragraph, phrase or chapter that you read repeatedly? Share it with others, including me and those who are reading this online journal. You know how to contact me!
