Address & Argument

Aphorism

AF-or-iz-um / ˈæfərɪzəm

A short, freestanding statement of general truth, polished until it sounds inevitable. The balance and brevity make an opinion feel like a law.

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." — Austen (ironic aphorism)

Don't confuse it with Irony. A maxim instructs conduct; an epigram jokes; the aphorism claims truth. Austen's is an aphorism wearing irony.

In the Reader — 1 excerpt

That is all.

— Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray · open the passage →