Welcome to Better Short - Ideas or stories expressed in 500 words or less.
The early bird gets…some alone time at best because the worms start late these days.
Good things come to those…that ask for it.
What doesn’t kill you…leaves you with medical bills.
A bird in hand is….profoundly unhappy because it likes to be free.
Memes and Aphorisms are the same thing.
Talk to any older person in your life, and not a day goes by without them quoting some aphorism. These are secreted-away in their brains (and sometimes notebooks) as a singularity of a greater truth. You could take any aphorism and write a whole essay on it.
In the same way, people download and save Memes only to use them at the right time. Because, like an aphorism, Memes communicate a lot with very little. You could take a meme and write an entire essay about it.
There’s a gunslinger aspect to both, the ability to unleash them quickly in the right context where they shower the context with meaning.
Both are distillations. They’re hoarding of human cultural debates. It’s the equivalent of your 4-year-old collecting shells under the couch. Eventually, they always tend toward the bizarre.
If it ain’t broke….it will break; welcome to entropy.
The grass is always greener….when you shoot in a Samsung.
A Stitch in Time….is an excellent classic sci-fi book title.
When life gives you lemons….and no knife to slice them, you can’t help but angrily throw them at random passersby.
Actions speak louder….when you are on mute in a Zoom meeting.
Don’t count your chickens…if they aren’t on your payroll.
Every cloud…has a subscription fee.
All good things must come….with a terrible sequel unless it’s The Terminator.
Revenge is a dish…thrown with enough force.
An idle mind….doom scrolls.
Old habits die…but are captured in social media for cancelling you in the future.
You can’t judge a book….but you can judge the movie they make off it.
Jack of all trades….is a crypto bro.
Slow and Steady….are terrible names for human twins.
What goes around….comes back as a ChatGPT response.
Variety is the spice of….a good portfolio.
A Rolling Stone….is less than a Beatle.
Fools rush in….when Elon Musk speaks.
If, at first, you don’t succeed….become a thought leader on LinkedIn.
A fool and his money….buy a Cybertruck.
If you can’t beat them….your omelette won’t be fluffy.
A watched pot…doesn’t get you high.
Easier said than….typed out.
Don’t put the cart…..where the customer cannot find it easily.
You reap what you….forget to shave.
An Apple a day….will bankrupt you in a week.
The best-laid plans….of software engineers can’t be trusted.
Share your versions of mangled aphorisms. Or memes.
Better Short,
Tyag
You are in good company. No less an intellect than Nietzsche was a strong supporter of the power and value of aphorisms (memes) in communicating ideas. This form aligns with his belief in economy of language and the idea that truth is better expressed in sharp, striking formulations rather than in elaborate treatises.
Killed it!
I'm going to come back to this whenever I need to LOL.