Many entries in this book are my creations; others are gleanings and adaptations from several languages and cultures. All resonate to my experience.

Aphorisms, witticisms, moral tales, and similar insights are akin to philosophy but with two main differences: first, whereas philosophy reaches a point after lengthy preliminaries, aphorisms and their relatives begin with the point and its immediate human application. Second, whereas philosophy narrate in a major key, these entries play on several registers: humor, irony, paradox, and moral insights that modulate the melody of human life.

According to one of the aphorisms in this book, some of our ideas fare better in other minds. These have served me well as instruction and consolation. Now I release them in the hope that other minds will make even better use of them.