A terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or moral principle (If the authorship is unknown, the statement is generally considered to be a folk (Atasözü) ) An aphorism can be a memorable summation of the author's point It's often equated as a synonym with "adage" or "saying" or "(Atasözü)" Ben Franklin wrote many of these in Poor Richard's Almanac such as " God helps them that help themselves" (Other examples: "A watched pot never boils " or " Nothing comes to those who wait "
An aphorism is a short witty sentence which expresses a general truth or comment. = witticism. a short phrase that contains a wise idea (aphorisme, from , from aphorismos , from aphorizein ). Terse formulation of any generally accepted truth or sentiment conveyed in a pithy, memorable statement. The term was first used in the Aphorisms of Hippocrates, a long series of propositions concerning disease and the art of healing. Aphorisms were used especially in dealing with subjects for which principles and methodology developed relatively late, including art, agriculture, medicine, jurisprudence, and politics, but in the modern era they have usually been vehicles of wit and pithy wisdom. Celebrated modern aphorists include Friedrich Nietzsche and Oscar Wilde