The aphorism is cultivated only by those who have known fear in the midst of words, that fear of collapsing with all the words. – E.M. Cioran, “Atrophy of Utterance,” All Gall Is Divided: Gnomes and Apothegms,

Many of the historical proverbs have a doubtful paternity. – Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Quotation and Originality,” Letters and Social Aims, 1876

Dr. [Richard] Bentley’s son reading a novel, the Doctor said, “Why read a book which you cannot quote?” – Walpoliana (Horace Walpole, John Pinkerton), “Useless Reading,” January 1800

You may get a large amount of truth into a brief space. – Attributed to Beecher in Edge-Tools of Speech by Maturin M. Ballou, 1899