Diminutive Voices, Volume 4: S–Z

Aphorism, epigram, adage--the essence of each form is a saying short and pithy. Brief, condensed, and easy to recite, these represent a culture's wise advice. What an aesthetics of the miniature! As French philosopher Gaston Bachelard observes, "The miniscule, a narrow gate, opens up an entire world." Some such sayings are pure description, yet they hint at something more; others appear to be an elder's admonition to a child; some resound with probing observations of human nature and God; others