I first blogged about Oleg Vishnepolsky back in 2009, and now he’s back with some more merry musings on art, life, technology and business—which, in Oleg’s case, often end up being (and meaning) the same thing. Russian aphorists typically have a very pronounced streak of black humor in their sayings but, in keeping with one of his own aphorisms, Oleg makes an exception of himself, writing upbeat, optimistic aphorisms that make you laugh as well as think. A selection:

I make mistakes, therefore I am.

Advice is best taken like Russian vodka: in small doses but large quantities.

Out of the ordinary should never be out of the question.

If you say more than you know, pretend that you know more than you say.

When one man sees a dark shadow, another sees the bright light that casts it.

“May ALL your dreams come true” is actually a curse.

It is OK to hide your head in the sand if you keep your mouth shut.

Learning to be patient requires a lot of patience.

You can’t save the present moment for a rainy day.

Cynics are color blind realists.

To innovate, listen and understand all the reasons why something absolutely cannot be done. Then do it anyway.

To close the deficit we need to raise taxes on 5 out of every 4 Americans.

Republicans and Democrats share one thing in common: our tax dollars.

Knowledge is not a sum of facts just like a temple is not a sum of stones.

Silence is a form of communication.

Inspiration finds extraordinary in ordinary. Cynicism finds ordinary in extraordinary.

Never buy a round trip ticket to the point of no return.

We live for the moments to die for.

Your car will last you your lifetime if you keep driving it through red lights.

The book of life has no scrap pages; write with care.

You got it made when you can create rules for others and exceptions for yourself.

You have knowledge when you remember the rules; you have experience when you remember exceptions to those rules.