73 forms of compressed meaning.

Lines that try to compress something universal about how the world works.

Aphorism

A concise, authored statement defining a profound universal truth or moral principle.

Adage

A traditional saying that has gained credibility through long use and centuries of social acceptance.

Apothegm

A terse, witty, instructive saying; an aphorism with a sharper edge, delivered like a verdict.

Proverb

A short, anonymous folk saying offering practical, common-sense advice for daily life.

Old Saw

A piece of folk wisdom repeated so often it has worn smooth with age; the homespun sayings everyone already half-knows.

Maxim

A brief rule of conduct or practical blueprint for how one should behave.

Truism

A statement that is obviously true but lacks the deep insight to be thought-provoking.

Platitude

A flat, dull, or stale remark uttered as if it were profound or original.

Axiom

A statement or proposition that is regarded as established, accepted, or self-evidently true.

The mental shortcuts and instructional fragments that help us actually retain or act on what we learn.

Lesson

A specific moral, practical, or academic truth learned through study, instruction, or raw experience.

Cue

A brief sensory signal, word, or prompt that triggers an immediate learned action, thought, or behavioral response.

Mnemonic

A short formula, pattern, or word association designed strictly to assist the human memory.

Takeaway

A key conclusion, fact, or core message learned from a speech, meeting, or piece of content.

Heuristic

A practical "rule-of-thumb" mental shortcut that helps a person solve a problem or make a quick decision.

Dictum

A formal, authoritative statement or rule made by an expert, judge, or figure of educational power.

Rule of Thumb

A broadly accurate guide or principle based on practice and experience rather than precise theory.

Lines from sacred texts and contemplative traditions, focused on alignment with something larger.

Verse

A short, numbered sentence or metrical line from a holy scripture, such as the Bible, Torah, or Quran.

Parable

A simple, short story used to illustrate a moral or deep spiritual lesson, popularized by religious figures.

Mantra

A sacred word, sound, or short phrase repeated frequently to aid concentration, meditation, or spiritual alignment.

Koan

A paradoxical anecdote or riddle used in Zen Buddhism to demonstrate the inadequacy of logical reasoning.

Sutra

A concise aphorism or a collection of teachings in Indian religions (Buddhism, Hinduism) meant to be memorized.

Commandment

A divine rule or authoritative mandate given by God, intended to govern moral behavior.

Blessing / Benediction

A short, spoken prayer or declaration invoking divine protection, favor, or peace over someone.

The rule-sets humanity has written down to say how to live: ancient law codes, sacred commandments, professional oaths, and lists of virtue, from Hammurabi to the Hippocratic Oath to Asimov's Three Laws.

Code of Law

A formal, numbered body of rules governing conduct, from Hammurabi's Babylon and the Code of Ur-Nammu to modern statute.

Decalogue

A set of ten foundational rules for living, after the Ten Commandments handed down at Sinai.

Oath

A solemn promise that binds the speaker to a standard of conduct, like the Hippocratic Oath taken by physicians.

Creed

A short statement of the shared beliefs or guiding principles a group agrees to live by.

Precept

A specific rule or instruction for moral conduct, especially within a religious or ethical tradition such as the Five Precepts.

Virtue List

An enumerated set of character ideals to cultivate, such as Bushido's seven virtues or Franklin's thirteen.

Tenet

A principle or belief held to be true and used as a guide to action by those who follow a doctrine.

Engineered to move people: build resilience, rally a group, ignite emotion.

Affirmation

A positive, self-directed statement repeated to challenge negative thoughts and manifest a desired mindset.

Motto

A short phrase chosen by an individual, family, or institution to formally encapsulate their beliefs or ideals.

Slogan

A catchy, memorable phrase used in political, commercial, or social campaigns to rally public support.

Rallying Cry

A phrase or shout used to bind people together to support a shared, urgent cause or action.

Manifesto

A published, written declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of an individual or group.

War Cry

A word or phrase yelled by soldiers in battle to inspire courage or intimidate opponents.

Lines built for the pleasure of a sharp turn or a well-placed punchline.

Quip

A clever, spontaneous remark, historically rooted in pointing out natural truths, modernly used for sharp wit.

Epigram

A short, polished, often satirical poem or statement ending in a surprising or witty turn of thought.

Witticism

A phrase that relies purely on intellectual cleverness, wordplay, or sharp mental agility.

Bon Mot

A highly clever, elegant, and perfectly timed remark made in conversation.

One-Liner

A single, self-contained sentence structured to deliver an immediate punchline.

Joke

A humorous story or setup with a punchline meant to provoke laughter.

Gag

A joke, prank, or piece of comedic business, often relying on visual or situational absurdity.

Murphy's Law / Murphyism

A wry pseudo-law of daily life (anything that can go wrong will go wrong) that finds humor in how the world seems to conspire against us.

Wellerism

A folk saying that twists a familiar proverb by attaching a speaker and an absurd situation, as in "Everyone to their own taste, said the farmer as he kissed the cow."

Bits of fact, refinement, or distillation worth keeping around.

Nugget

A highly valuable, isolated piece of information or wisdom found amidst a larger body of text.

Pearl

A beautiful, standalone piece of refined wisdom, often worn or shared as an heirloom of advice.

Snippet

A small, fragmentary scrap of speech or text that has been cut or separated from the main source.

Soundbite

A brief, highly memorable extract from a speech or interview, specifically chosen for media broadcast.

Excerpt

A formal passage taken directly out of a book, document, film, or musical piece.

The broader, looser categories that cover everyday speech.

Saying

The ultimate umbrella term for any widely repeated, common phrase or expression.

Expression

A specific word or phrase used to communicate a particular thought, feeling, or cultural idea.

Idiom

A culturally specific phrase whose meaning cannot be understood from the literal definition of its individual words.

Locution

A stylistic form of phrasing or a particular way of pronouncing or using words.

Catchphrase

A phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance by a specific person or fictional character.

Metaphor

A figure of speech that carries meaning across categories, letting one thing stand for another; the engine inside most great quips.

Open questions that invite a pause. Instead of telling you what to think, these prompts ask you to notice what you already think, or what you've been avoiding noticing.

Reflection Prompt

A short open-ended question used in the self-improvement and wellness tradition to nudge the reader toward self-awareness.

Journaling Prompt

A reflection question designed as a writing trigger, common in morning-pages and gratitude practices.

Introspective Question

A turn-inward question intended to surface a quiet thought, feeling, or pattern that has been hiding in plain sight.

Powerful Question

From executive coaching (ICF, Marilee Adams): an open question that opens new possibilities, rather than a closed question that defends old conclusions.

Coaching Question

A practitioner's tool for moving a conversation from blame to ownership, from problem to choice.

Conversation Starter

A question designed to invite genuine talk between two or more people; the genre includes the 36 Questions, We're Not Really Strangers, and Table Topics.

Deep Question

A conversation starter intentionally past the small-talk threshold, where curiosity outweighs politeness.

Examen Prompt

From the Ignatian tradition: a short end-of-day question to review the day with gratitude and clarity, secularized for daily use.

Morning Prompt

A short question to start the day with intent, a tradition shared across Stoic, contemplative, and creative practices like Julia Cameron's morning pages.

Stoic Prompt

A short morning or evening question drawn from the Stoic tradition (Marcus Aurelius, Seneca), focused on what's in your control and how you want to meet the day.

Proust Question

From the Victorian confession-album tradition popularized by Marcel Proust: a small set of personality-revealing questions used by Vanity Fair and Inside the Actors Studio.

Tiny, practical reminders aimed at the moment of decision: smart-eating and staying-active cues, money habits, digital wellbeing, relationships, parenting, and everyday-green choices. Less philosophy, more the gentle push that helps you do the thing you already meant to do.

Nudge

A small, well-timed prompt that makes the better choice the easier one, drawn from behavioral science (Thaler and Sunstein).

Habit Cue

A reminder tied to the moment of action: brush before the late-night craving, don't shop hungry, leave the phone in the other room.

Decision Prompt

A line that surfaces right at a fork: sleep on the big purchase, box half before the first bite, send the first text.

Reminder

A plain, friendly nudge toward a good default you already believe in: drink the water, take the stairs, say the kind thing out loud.

Rule of Thumb

A simple heuristic that travels well without a calculator: pay yourself first, half the plate vegetables, mend before you replace.

Resolution

A short, repeatable intention framed as identity rather than outcome: be the kind of person who moves, who listens, who saves a little.