sententia (en)

a brief moral saying taken from ancient or popular or other sources, often quoted without context; as an adjective, means either given to aphoristic expression, or just referring to an aphoristic expression. or: 'in a way that tries to sound important or intelligent, especially by expressing moral judgements'

—p.166 The Painful Sum of Things (159) by Nikil Saval, Pankaj Mishra 6 years, 6 months ago