some aphorisms

Someone says "I'm quite vane", to which I reply "you don't look it". Am I paying them a complement or an insult?

'Intelligence' is nothing more nor less than an index of linguistic ability. The question of how much is learnt and how much is innate is therefore not just empirically unanswered but definitively unanswerable. The only innately stupid person is the one who believes that this issue comes down to biology.

"Time flies while you're having fun". As beings of very limited lifespans, it presumably makes sense to keep fun to a minimum.

Ok, so I'm not quite at Nietzsche's standard yet, but at least I'm not recommending beating up women.

Comments

[Nick Booth]

If someone told me they were quite vane I'd be looking for the windmill. That conceit aside - I like the third one - of course boredom is a long life wasted.

[Will Davies]

shit, is that a typo? Damn me.

[J]

'Intelligence' is nothing more nor less than an index of linguistic ability.

I always suspected that plants, fish, reptiles, and the kids in the 'special' bus had equal intelligence levels, and this proves it.

P.S.
Here is an old country aphorism I learned as a child in Norfolk:
"A woman, a dog, and a walnut tree - the more you beat them, the better they be"

It's interesting, because it's true that beating walnut trees makes them grow more walnuts. The wisdom of simple country folk, eh?