Yes, that’s me: a sucker for aphorisms. Maybe because I really can’t write them, though occasionally one will surface in the context of a poem—which of course makes it not an aphorism, I think, because an aphorism must stand alone. On the other hand, my Oxford American Dictionary defines aphorism as merely “a pithy observation that contains a general truth,” which is fine but begs the question of why they’re so damned delightful.
This particular post was inspired, by the way, by another blogger who posts under the moniker of “JforJames” on his blog, ursprache. JforJames is an aphorist living (his profile says) in Connecticut, and his blog is one of those unusual blogs that make the reader want to fare back through its archives. Here are some characteristic excerpts:
Too many poets know only their own poems.
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The poet walks alone out onto the springboard of the first line.
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Theorists and theists, different gods, but mired in dogmas all the same.
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After the advent of email, only the poem was left to replace the letter as an instrument of intimate communication.
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Render unto the reader what the reader has reason to expect. That may not always be meaning but it must be a meaningful experience.
I came to his blog via William Michaelian’s Recently Banned Literature, in a listing of recently linked sites. Thanks, William!
Joseph Hutchison, Colorado Poet Laureate 2014-2019, has published 20 collections of poems and edited or co-edited three poetry anthologies. He currently directs two master’s-level programs for University College at the University of Denver: Professional Creative Writing and Arts & Culture Management. Joe lives with his wife, Melody Madonna, in the mountains southwest of Denver, Colorado, the city where he was born. 
What’s all this tommyrot about “aphorisms”! Of course: If you can’t say it, you sit on it!
P.S. Further reading: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Aphorisms_%E2%80%94_an_address_delivered_before_the_Edinburgh_Philosophical_Institution,_November_11,_1887
You’re right. Cioran was indeed a <A HREF="http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Emil_Cioran" REL="nofollow">cheerful cuss</A>….
Hello. I came across your blog through one of your articles about Bill Knott, whose work I have been devouring over the past weeks. I am happy to see someone blogging so actively about his work.<BR/><BR/>I highly recommend the aphorisms of E.M. Cioran. In particular, his "The Trouble with Being Born," translated by Richard Howard, is crushingly beautiful, comical and cynical, to say the least.
You may have got hold of these but just in case:<BR/><BR/>If you enjoy aphorisms about poetry you really should get hold of Dennis O’Driscoll’s The Bloodaxe Book of Poetry Quotations. Dennis is an Irish poet/critic who has scoured the literary mags and blogs for his selection (there’s even one by Reginald Shepherd).<BR/><BR/>Scottish poet Don Paterson has published two books of aphorisms, ‘The
You’re very welcome. I’ve been enjoying ursprache for quite some time. Indeed, it’s a collection of aphoristic gems.