Journal #11: Aphorisms

One popular aphorism would be "Wise men talk because they have something to say, fools because they have to say something." This was an intelligent quote by the Greek philosopher Plato. Basically what he is saying is that "fools" say things just to say things. They do not have anything important on their mind, and they speak unnecessary words that do not have any significant meaning. They are just talking because they have to. On the other hand, wise men speak because they have something of significance to say. They keep to themselves until something of major importance comes up, and then they tell it. Basically a wise person says something when they have something wise to say. I think this is a very intelligent aphorism because it is at least true in part. Most people that I would consider, in Plato's words, a "fool" are always talking about things that do not matter. They will just talk about unimportant events or observations, and that is why they are defined as fools. There are not many people that only "speak when they have something to say." I think Plato, along with his teacher Socrates and student Aristotle, could be considered this definition of a wise person. They have many philosophical quotes that make them seem like a people that only spoke when they had something wise to say. I would like to think that I fall under this category too just because I am somewhat quiet, but I do not always speak in wise aphorisms worthy of being quoted centuries after I pass away. I think that by the way that I interpret this quote everybody would be considered a fool, but in some ways that is true. There is nobody that is always wise. Everybody has some moments when they are fools because nobody is perfect at everything. I think this is a really good quote because it makes the reader think about the way they talk about things and whether they really need to talk about them.