I first blogged about Richard Krause’s aphorisms back in 2009, noting that his “aphorisms often take the form of ‘proverbial play’; i.e. the core of the aphorism consists of a well-known proverbial saying or familiar expression, which the aphorism then tweaks through some ironic reversal or witty gloss.” This is still Mr. Krause’s modus operandi, luring readers into a psychological double take when the expected meaning of the immanent truism is suddenly upended, which leaves you invigorated if slightly uneasy about many of the sayings’ darker undertones…

You take people’s word and soon find that you’ve appropriated their whole vocabulary.

The fear of falling in love with yourself is that you will displace no one.

When you are washed up you never realize the extent of shoreline you have to yourself.

The faith you lose in people is almost enough to start a religion elsewhere.

Too many women around a man always camouflages his inability to make friends.

No matter how we talk a thing to death, death always has the last word.

What we want to hear determines almost everything people say.

You get carried away less often the older you get despite being closer to ending up on a stretcher.

We are always at the mercy of our inability to give it.

Murmurs often appear in those hearts that have no say.

That life is almost meaningless in its brevity naturally shortens the attention span.

Brilliance turns into glare when it loses its timing.

A person’s pride is accountable for almost all their loneliness.

What you love never leaves you, who you love always does.

You are all that is left of your childhood.