Aphorisms: Sayings to Live By

Aphorisms: Sayings to Live By

From Word of Mouth by BBC Radio 4

January 29, 2026 · 28 min

About this episode

Michael Rosen discusses aphorisms with James Geary, exploring their significance and origins.

Michael Rosen talks to James Geary about his lifetime obsession, aphorisms. These short, witty philosophical sayings have been coined by everyone from Emily Dickinson and James Baldwin to Hallmark, and even Michael's mum. Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Sally Heaven, in partnership with the Open University. Subscribe to the Word of Mouth podcast and never miss an episode: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/b006qtnz

People in this episode

Host: Michael Rosen

Guest: James Geary

Topics covered

  • aphorisms
  • philosophy
  • sayings
  • literature
  • culture

Keywords

  • aphorisms
  • sayings
  • Michael Rosen
  • James Geary
  • philosophical sayings
  • literature
  • culture

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: BBC Audio Bristol, Open University

More episodes of Word of Mouth

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Word of Mouth podcast page.