One of the three people credited with this witticism was a gentleman named Mason Cooley...to whom many, many aphorisms are attributed, but about whom almost no biographical information exists.

Over the next several months, I noticed that a significant number of hits on my site were from people looking for more information about Mr. Cooley.

My interest in this disconnect grew...lots of quotes, but no information about him. A WIkipedia stub appeared back in December, with the same bit of information I found everywhere else: American aphorist, born 1927.

And so today I announce the birth of The Mason Cooley Project. The point? I'd love to have more information for the dozens of people who are looking for information about him. I think he deserves a bit of recognition for his work, more than just "American aphorist, born 1927."

In the mean time, I'll post some of his aphorisms that I find particularly pointed or witty, and I'll share any clues I pick up about him. And I'll continue to ponder just how does one become an aphorist? That sounds like a job for me...right after Delicious Candy Taster.

Update 3/3/06: After more in-depth research, I finally found Mason Cooley. Unfortunately, he passed away about four years ago. But I was able to fill in some of the gaps with some biographical information.