aphorism

An aphorism is an insight taken out of context.

film v language

A shot is worth more words than you can come up with. Film is too logically poor and too semantically rich. Language is articulate by being determinate and sacrificing detail. Film is articulate by being indeterminate and sacrificing logical richness.

dignity

They praise the dignity of those they are condescending to, ashamed of their condescension.

enter Rumour painted full of tongues

It is foolish to search for the source of a malicious rumour. There is no source, only several repeated versions and several interpretations. The malice need not appear until the last interpretation.

gift

A gift with strings attached is not a gift. A gift received without gratitude robs the recipient of his privilege.

prose and thought

According to Schopenhauer, most write without thought, many think in order to write, and a few write because they have thought. He failed to mention those who write in order to think. Pope was hardly alone in getting it wrong. He should have said of good writing: what never was thought until so well expressed. Benjamin put it best: write no more  than you think.

trust

They demand trust who are untrustworthy.