Mason Cooley (1927 – July 25, 2002) was an American aphorist known for his witty aphorisms. One of these such aphorisms Cooley developed was "The time I kill is killing me."
Mistakes are the only universal form of originality.
People who abhor solitude may abhor company almost as much.
Passion cooks. Reason cleans.
Cheerfulness is a policy; happiness is a talent.
Great talkers are trying to fill the gap between themselves and others, but only widen it.
After sixty, the self-questioning of middle age is obsolete.
The soul is no longer honored as it once was, but it still keeps appetite from being the measure of all things.
Passion impels our deeds; ideology supplies the explanations.
I like the old wisdom--puns, riddles, spells, proverbs.
A blocked path also offers guidance.
To Jane Austen, every fool is a treasure trove.
Self-criticism expands the opportunities for discourse and eliminates the need for an adversary.
Good parties create a temporary youthfulness.
Good books do not make people wiser or happier--only more conscious.
Eternity eludes us, even as a thought.
Art seduces, but does not exploit.
As every cockroach knows, thriving on poisons is the secret of success.
Death is always there, just beneath the surface.
The passions are the same in every conflict, large or small.
Reversing a proposition rearranges its terms, but still keeps out new terms.