The art of being a slave is to rule one's master

I have just finished James Geary's The World in a Phrase: A Brief History of the Aphorism. Well worth a read and might be of particular interest to a reflective high schooler.

Geary has some good discussion of what constitutes an aphorism - there are very blurred lines between proverbs, fables, aphorisms, epigraphs, etc. I think of aphorisms as pithy statements that are a catalyst for contemplation. You might agree with their gist or not but they force you to think. Collections of aphorisms abound. What Geary has done is to provide some context and history. He has many thumbnail sketches of the more insightful or prolific aphorists. Far fewer aphorisms but a more informative structure.

He identifies five attributes which he believes an aphorism must have.

1. It must be brief.
2. It must be definitive.
3. It must be personal.
4. It must have a twist.
5. It must be philosophical.

Well, maybe. It is useful to have some defined boundaries though.

A sampling of his selections:

As long as the heart preserves desire, the mind preserves illusion. - Chateaubriand

Ruling a large kingdom is like cooking a small fish; the less handled the better. - Lao-Tzu

We are what we think. - Buddha

One cannot step twice into the same river. - Heracleitus

The art of being a slave is to rule one's master. - Diogenes

There is nothing the wise man does reluctantly. He escapes necessity because he wills what necessity is going to force on him. - Seneca

First be master of yourself if you would be master over others. - Gracian

Old people are fond of giving good advice; it consoles them for no longer being capable of setting a bad example. - La Rochefoucauld

And many, many others.