At the back of the monumental Oeuvres of E. M. Cioran (Gallimard, 1995) is a ‘Glossaire’ which gathers snippets from letters and interviews alphabetically by topic. Here follows a rough translation of some fragments on aphorism and aphorists.
Aphorisms (p. 1,736)
Aphorisms are instantaneous generalities.
I can only express results. My aphorisms aren’t really aphorisms. Each of them is the conclusion of a whole page, the end of a little bout of epilepsy.
I let everything else go and I give only the conclusion, like in a courtroom where, in the end, there’s only the verdict: condemned to death. Without thought’s unfolding: just its result. That’s my way of doing things, my formula.
