Aphorism: GCSE English Definition

What is an aphorism?

In GCSE English Literature and GCSE English Language, an aphorism is a short, memorable statement that expresses an important truth about life. 

Many of the most famous aphorisms come from literature — and especially texts that explore aspects of the human experience. 

Why do writers use Aphorisms?

Aphorisms are an efficient way of communicating universal truths in the space of just a sentence or two. They can be metaphorical and poetic or relatively simple and pithy. They can sometimes be confused with idioms (, which express truths that are different from the literal meaning of the words used and therefore will mean something different to people from different regions. 

Some of the most commonly used aphorisms come from The Bible or from famous writers such as William Shakespeare. Adages are popular aphorisms that are commonly used in speech. 

Examples of aphorism

“Pride comes before a fall”

This aphorism is adapted from The Bible (“Pride goes before destruction”, Proverbs 16:18), and expresses the idea that if someone is too conceited or arrogant, something will happen to make them look foolish. 

“All that glisters is not gold” — The Merchant of Venice, Act 2, Scene 7

Although the modern aphorism has replaced “glisters” with “glitters”, the meaning of Shakespeare’s aphorism remains the same: not everything that looks precious is valuable. In The Merchant of Venice, the Prince of Morocco gambles on the contents of a shiny golden chest being worth more than a leaden chest. In fact, the leaden chest contains what he actually desires — marriage to the wealthy Portia — while the golden one contains a skull.   

Revision resources to ace your exams

For study guides on how to analyse aphorism in literary texts, and how best to include an aphorism in your own creative writing, check out our detailed revision notes. All our notes are course-specific, so everything you’ll need to ace your exams is in one place!

GCSE English Literature Revision Notes 

GCSE English Language Revision Notes

For a comprehensive glossary covering all the best literary techniques you could ever need, check out our list of top literary devices, complete with student-friendly definitions.

Sources  

The Bible Gateway, Proverbs 16:18