I like your term "altered aphorisms", and I just used one yesterday. I'm writing a book on innovation in carmaking and I was talking about how a startup sometimes has to "pivot" to a new product when their planned product doesn't catch on. They change direction and change their company.
YouTube is a good example, as it started out as a dating site. The idea was that users would upload videos talking about themselves and what they were looking for in a partner. The company was even started on Valentine's Day in 2005. The dating site flopped, but YouTube's video upload and streaming technology worked well so they pivoted to let any videos be uploaded and were a big hit.
Changing your company's product is drastic surgery, almost like an amputation, and a pivot should not be done lightly. Once, maybe twice in unusual cases, but never three times. An altered aphorism came to mind that perfectly captured what I wanted to say:
"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. No use being a damn fool about it."
The origin of this version of these words is unknown, although it is often falsely attributed to W.C. Fields. The Quote Investigator calls it a "twisted proverb" but I like your "altered aphorism" better.
Thanks, John. I too have seen that "no use being a damned fool about it" version. Let me do some checking. Thanks also for giving your thumbs up the "altered aphorisms" concept. Like you, I never warmed to the idea of "twisted proverbs."
Here's a two-fer for you. A great beginning book on economics for college students is called The Armchair Economist by Steven Landsburg. Here are its opening lines:
"Most of economics can be summarized in four words: 'People respond to incentives.' The rest is commentary."
To me those are good opening lines as incentives are the key to understanding our economic behavior. Steven Landsburg's words reflect similar thoughts by Charlie Munger, famed lawyer and investor who was a friend and colleague of Warren Buffett, and who died at 99 last year. He had a lot to say about the importance of incentives:
"Show me the incentives, and I’ll show you the outcome."
"If you have a dumb incentive system, you get dumb outcomes."
"I think I’ve been in the top 5% of my age cohort all my life in understanding the power of incentives, and all my life I’ve underestimated it. Never a year passes that I don’t get some surprise that pushes my limit a little farther."
And apart from them being good opening lines, Steven Landsburg's words are also an altered aphorism of a sort. They are based on the Hillel the Elder quote on the golden rule in your newsletter, repeating his final four words: "The rest is commentary."
A two-fer -- good (though perhaps not great) opening lines and an altered aphorism (of a sort) -- seen in the wild. It's fun for me to spot them, though I can't match your professional eye.
Thanks, John. Loved the Landsburg opening line, and his Hillel-related conclusion. Will soon be adding it to www.GreatOpeningLines.com. Also enjoyed the Munger quotes. I'll soon be adding all of the quotes to a new "incentives" category on my DMDMQ. Muchas gracias, my friend.
Thanks for your encouragement, DJ, as well as your other thoughts. It's always nice to hear your thoughts and reflections.
I like your term "altered aphorisms", and I just used one yesterday. I'm writing a book on innovation in carmaking and I was talking about how a startup sometimes has to "pivot" to a new product when their planned product doesn't catch on. They change direction and change their company.
YouTube is a good example, as it started out as a dating site. The idea was that users would upload videos talking about themselves and what they were looking for in a partner. The company was even started on Valentine's Day in 2005. The dating site flopped, but YouTube's video upload and streaming technology worked well so they pivoted to let any videos be uploaded and were a big hit.
Changing your company's product is drastic surgery, almost like an amputation, and a pivot should not be done lightly. Once, maybe twice in unusual cases, but never three times. An altered aphorism came to mind that perfectly captured what I wanted to say:
"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. No use being a damn fool about it."
The origin of this version of these words is unknown, although it is often falsely attributed to W.C. Fields. The Quote Investigator calls it a "twisted proverb" but I like your "altered aphorism" better.
Thanks, John. I too have seen that "no use being a damned fool about it" version. Let me do some checking. Thanks also for giving your thumbs up the "altered aphorisms" concept. Like you, I never warmed to the idea of "twisted proverbs."
This is such a wonderful reminder.
Thanks for your kind words, Barbara!
King Midas proves beyond all doubt the golden rule;
Very clever, my friend.
Here's a two-fer for you. A great beginning book on economics for college students is called The Armchair Economist by Steven Landsburg. Here are its opening lines:
"Most of economics can be summarized in four words: 'People respond to incentives.' The rest is commentary."
To me those are good opening lines as incentives are the key to understanding our economic behavior. Steven Landsburg's words reflect similar thoughts by Charlie Munger, famed lawyer and investor who was a friend and colleague of Warren Buffett, and who died at 99 last year. He had a lot to say about the importance of incentives:
"Show me the incentives, and I’ll show you the outcome."
"If you have a dumb incentive system, you get dumb outcomes."
"I think I’ve been in the top 5% of my age cohort all my life in understanding the power of incentives, and all my life I’ve underestimated it. Never a year passes that I don’t get some surprise that pushes my limit a little farther."
And apart from them being good opening lines, Steven Landsburg's words are also an altered aphorism of a sort. They are based on the Hillel the Elder quote on the golden rule in your newsletter, repeating his final four words: "The rest is commentary."
A two-fer -- good (though perhaps not great) opening lines and an altered aphorism (of a sort) -- seen in the wild. It's fun for me to spot them, though I can't match your professional eye.
Thanks, John. Loved the Landsburg opening line, and his Hillel-related conclusion. Will soon be adding it to www.GreatOpeningLines.com. Also enjoyed the Munger quotes. I'll soon be adding all of the quotes to a new "incentives" category on my DMDMQ. Muchas gracias, my friend.
Hi John. I've added the Landsburg opener to my Great Opening Lines website. Go to:
https://greatopeninglines.com/non-fiction#2075