Little Happier - The Surreal Aphorisms of Comedian Steven Wright Shed Light on Human Nature

Happier with Gretchen Rubin

Gretchen Rubin / The Onward Project

Education, Health & Fitness, Self-improvement

4.7 • 13K Ratings

🗓️ 14 March 2022

⏱️ 3 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

With his surreal one-liners, comedian Steven Wright helps us to understand human nature and the world in a clearer (and more hilarious) light. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: http://gretchenrubin.com/#newsletter Leave a voicemail message on: 774-277-9336 For information about advertisers and promo codes, go to happiercast.com/sponsors Want to be happier in 2022? Order Gretchen Rubin’s book The Happiness Project to see how she approached the question, “How can I be happier?” and start a Happiness Project of your own. Happier with Gretchen Rubin is part of ‘The Onward Project,’ a family of podcasts brought together by Gretchen Rubin—all about how to make your life better. Check out the other Onward Project podcasts—Do The Thing, Side Hustle School, Happier in Hollywood and Everything Happens with Kate Bowler. If you liked this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and tell your friends! To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm Gretchen Rubin and this is a little happier.
0:03.3	I love paradoxes, co-ins, fables, teaching stories, and aphorisms.
0:08.3	Now what is an aphorism?
0:10.7	An aphorism is a short statement that contains a large truth about human nature, because
0:15.5	they're sharp and brief, they're grand generalizations, and by saying little, they often manage
0:21.3	to suggest more.
0:23.5	Unlike a proverb which is a form of folk wisdom, an aphorism is attributed to a particular
0:28.7	person.
0:29.7	I'm writing my own collection of aphorisms, and I also collect my favorites written by
0:34.4	other people.
0:35.8	For instance, one of my favorite aphorists is Marie von Ebene-Echenbach, who wrote,
0:41.9	The Bitterest Reproach is bearable, so long as you feel it comes from someone who would
0:47.4	prefer to praise.
0:50.2	Stephen Wright is a comedian who's famous for his deadpan style of commenting on the
0:54.7	mundane reality of day-to-day life. Many of his surreal one-liners are also aphorisms
1:01.5	that shed a hilarious light on human nature.
1:04.8	Here are some of my favorites.
1:07.5	Hard work pays off in the future.
1:09.7	Laziness pays off now.
1:12.6	A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
1:18.2	Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
1:23.3	The sooner you fall behind, the more time you'll have to catch up.
	...

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