Write an aphorism using valid code [closed]

Question

Can you write an aphorism in at most 4 lines of code ?

Code should read as much as possible as an aphorism in plain English and should return the boolean true.

Language: of choice.

Criteria for accepted answer: Most votes in 180 30 days. (8^th of July 2014)

Originality: can be an old aphorism but a creative one would be much more appreciated.

Answer 1

Python

import this
love = this
this is love, love is not True or False, love is love
# (True, True, True)

Okay, this returns a tuple of Truths, but that itself evaluates as True anyway.

Answer 2

Forth

2 : b or ! 2 ." b" ;
: that s" the questi" on ;

Answer 3

C:

You'll have to squint a bit to read this one :-)

int x(){ int __,L        ;
     return (__ |__ ||__ |__ ,__,__ ,__ ,__ ,__  ,
             __||  1||__ |  1L/L|__||__|1/__|  1L)
                                ;   }

You might notice a potential division-by-zero error on line 3, but this is never executed because the expression evaluates as true before the calculation is performed.

Answer 4

It's difficult to avoid string literals, comments and tricks fo this kind, but I tried to keep them to a mininum. Also, the first line makes no sense. Well, I had fun doing it

F#

(fun () -> (fun (_) -> // fun fun? wtf
try not <| failwith("me") ; (*but*) with |Failure((*co*)me(*s*)) -> true)("learning"))()
// "Try not to fail with me, but with failure comes true learning

I could also do some declaration abusing, but I ended up not finding a way to return true:

let the,bodies,hit_the=floor(0.0),(),()

or

let the_games=bigint() //pun intended

I really need to stop with the puns.

Answer 5

C

No string literals or comments:

Better(to,re);main(silent){and();}be(thought,a,fool){}
than(to,open,your,mouth);and(){}remove(all,doubt);

Split over two lines, but one would work fine as well.

When compiled using gcc on Linux (x86-64), this produces an executable which exits with success (exit code 0), the same as the true Unix utility; this being how I choose to interpret the requirement of returning boolean true in a non-scripting language.

Note: notwithstanding the abuse of the "implicit int" rule, the principal trick behind this program is that while a C program that falls off the end of main without a return statement will usually result in a non zero exit code, by calling another function we can set the EAX register which is then used as the exit code of the program. This is of course totally undefined behaviour and utterly non portable.

Answer 6

Python

war=peace=freedom=slavery=ignorance=strength=0
war is peace|freedom is slavery|ignorance is strength

Power=a=means=it=an=end=0
Power is not (a, means, it is (an, end))

JavaScript

You=true;function BigBrother(){};BigBrother.isWatching=function(y){return y};
BigBrother.isWatching(You)

Answer 7

C#:

short life = 0;
return (life is short);

"Life is short" (Hippocrates)

Answer 8

Ruby

class String
  def before(b) self < b end
end

A bit lengthy, but gets us a few aphorisms:

"age".before("beauty")
"business".before("pleasure")
"pearls".before("swine")

And (stretching slightly):

dont = []; y = 1
dont.count + y or ('chickens'.before('they hatch'))

Answer 9

Scala

Some apply Double forall _; None isEmpty

Answer 10

CoffeeScript

2 * @wrong isnt @right

=> true

Answer 11

C++

bool life = true;
bool fair = false;

assert(life != fair);

Answer 12

Python

love=[True];all,fair,war=love*3
all is fair in love and war

Answer 13

An aphorism about http verbs, in

Ruby

puts do
something idempotent but are considered to be unsafe
because if the value at the beginning of a chain of calls is one possibly the value at the
end != 1

Answer 14

C

if ((ifs && ands) == (pots && pans))
    work_for_tinkers_hands = FALSE;

Answer 15

Javascript

function be(who) {
   if (who == 'thine own self') {
      return true;
   }
}

An approximation of "To thine own self be true."

I'm kind of fudging with the requirements, since it only returns true in one particular case ... but I'm hoping you'll let it slide because the return value is actually part of the aphorism.

Answer 16

C

int main(int fear, int* computers){ int

    i; do { !fear; computers[i]; fear; "the lack of them";

} while();return true;}

I do not fear computers, I fear the lack of them.

-Isaac Asimov

Answer 17

C

main(int I,char **think) {char *a="there"; for (;--I;) a['m'];}

Answer 18

I got a wonderful error while attempting this:

It's very much inspired by Darren Stone's answer.

TypeError: Cannot use 'in' operator to search for 'tis nobler' in mind to suffer the The Slings and Arrows of outrageous fortune

Javascript

[2].be || ! [2].be ; this.is, "the question"

It returns an implicit true.

Slightly less terse, with a question mark:

[2].be || ! [2].be? is = this: !"the question"

Answer 19

PHP

$all = array('not well', 'not well', 'not well', 'well'); 
$end = array_pop($all);
$all = ($end == 'well') ? $end : 'not well';
return true;

"All's well that ends well."

Answer 20

Q

any bird:`int$"hehand"=2^`int$"hebush"

and

(./) 2_iscomp:any 3,'s:"a",'"crowd"

Answer 21

PHP

An apple a day...

$aphorism = function(){
    for($day=1;$day<=365;$day++) $apple++;
    return ($apple==365) ? true : 'doctor';
};

Answer 22

Common Lisp

(Do ((as)) ('(I say no)t) as I do)
(time (and 'tide (wait-for 'no-man))) ;requires sbcl

Answer 23

A bit lazy, but my take.

Python:

life = short = True; art = long = True; life=art
life is short and art is long

JavaScript:

The = word = 'Yoga'
has = been = 'vulgarized'
and = does = not=  mean = anything =Date.now() ,!''
//Swami Rama 

Answer 24

Lua

-- all search is in vain
function search() end
-- only the void is true
function void() return function() return true end, true end
-- and what remains is to
for ever in void() do repeat search("light") until true end
return true

Answer 25

JavaScript

return (Do || !Do) || (there == !try);

return 2 * be || !(2 * be);

Answer 26

R

the_whole <- c(-1,-1)
the_part <- -1
the_whole > sum(the_part,the_part)

-Socrates

Answer 27

Simply-Basic 84

Label 1;a random number between 0 and 1~should be stored in~A
If A is equal to 1 Then Display A End;Stop&Else,Go to label 1
:End; Otherwise destroy quantum transmitters internationally.
Since quantum transmitters are gone, power lost. KA-POW, yes?

Answer 28

Prolog

waste(not).

want(X) :-
    waste(X).

Answer 29

Python

be = that = the = question = 1
2 - be or not 2 - be
that is the & question

Answer 30

Ruby

Not the most elegant solution, but very easy to read

def you_know_meaning(x) true end

!!!("aphorism" != "aphorism" unless you_know_meaning "aphorism")

=> true