APHORISMS

APHORISM VS PROVERB

The majority of sayings said to be aphorisms are quotes from famous people or from novels. Proverbs, while sometimes taken from novels or famous quotes, are most often unsourced. That appears to be the most prominent difference between the two.

As nouns the difference between proverb and aphorism is that proverb is a phrase expressing a basic truth which may be applied to common situations while aphorism is an original laconic phrase conveying some principle or concept of thought.


We are what we believe we are.


It ain't what a man don't know that makes him a fool, but what he does know that ain't so. Josh Billings

It's not what a man doesn't know that makes him a fool. It's what he knows for sure that ain't so.