I came across this aphorism—inked inexpertly on a gridded calligraphy practice sheet—as I was sorting craft materials the other day.

Don’t wait to buy land.
Buy land and wait.

Because I’d entirely forgotten this witty saying, it was a delightful surprise to read it again. An internet search revealed that this saying is attributed to American humorist Will Rogers.

Thus inspired, I went out on the internet and foraged for a few more clever aphorisms.

Happiness isn’t something you experience; it’s something you remember.
—Oscar Levant, American comedian

Love looks through a telescope; envy through a microscope.
—Josh Billings, American humorist

A bridge has no allegiance to either side.
—Les Coleman, British artist and aphorist

There is a woman at the beginning of all great things.
—Alphonse de Lamartine, French writer and politician

Some people will believe anything if you whisper it to them.
—Louis Nizer, American lawyer

The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem.
—Theodore Rubin, American psychiatrist

Beauty, more than bitterness
Makes the heart break.
—Sara Teasdale, American poet

Not all who wander are lost.
—J. R. R. Tolkien, British writer

There is luxury in self-reproach. When we blame ourselves, we feel no one else has a right to blame us.
—Oscar Wilde, Irish writer