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Aphorisms

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danielmiessler
Aphorisms

Curated aphorism collection with CRUD — content-based matching, themed search, thinker research, DB maintenance. Quotes organized by author/theme/context/usage to prevent repetition. Four workflows: FindAphorism, AddAphorism, ResearchThinker, SearchAphorisms. Themes: Stoicism, Wisdom, Truth-seeking, Excellence, Resilience, Curiosity. USE WHEN aphorism, quote, find a quote, research thinker, add aphorism, quote for newsletter, what did X say about, quote bank. NOT FOR creative writing or social posts.

Overview

Publisherdanielmiessler
RepositoryLifeOS
Skill nameAphorisms
Stars
19K
Forks
2.5K
Bundled files
5
LicenseMIT
Links
  • Markdown instructions

    A SKILL.md file the model loads on demand, so it only costs tokens when a request actually matches.

  • Works with any LLM

    AI skills are plain Markdown, not provider-specific code, so this works with GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or a local model.

  • 5 bundled files

    Scripts, templates, and references the model can read while it works. Files are read-only and never executed.

  • Open source

    Published by danielmiessler on GitHub. Read the source before you install it.

Installation

Install the Aphorisms AI skill in TypingMind to use it with any LLM, or drop it into another agent that reads SKILL.md.

1

Install in TypingMind

TypingMind installs a skill straight from its GitHub folder — it reads SKILL.md, bundles the resource files, and stores the result locally.

  1. Open the app and go to Plugins → Skills.
  2. Choose "Install from GitHub".
  3. Paste the skill folder URL below and confirm.
  4. Enable the skill in any chat where you want it available.
Plugins → Skills → Add skill → From GitHub URL, then paste the folder URL and press Continue.
2

Install in another agent

Any agent that reads the Agent Skills format can use this skill — copy the folder into that agent's skills directory.

Claude Code — .claude/skills
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/danielmiessler/LifeOS.git /tmp/LifeOS
mkdir -p .claude/skills
cp -r /tmp/LifeOS/LifeOS/install/skills/Aphorisms .claude/skills/Aphorisms
Restart Claude Code after copying so it picks up the new skill.

Use it in TypingMind

Enable Aphorisms in any TypingMind chat and the model takes it from there. Its name and description sit in the system prompt, and the moment a request matches, the model loads the full instructions itself — you never invoke it by hand, and it costs no tokens until it is actually used.

The model loads Aphorisms on its own as soon as a request matches it.

Works with any AI model

AI skills are plain Markdown instructions rather than provider-specific code, so Aphorisms is not tied to the model it was written for. Install it once in TypingMind and use it with GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral, Llama, or a local model you run yourself — all on your own API keys.

  • Loaded only when it is needed

    The system prompt carries just the name and description. The instructions are fetched on the first matching request, so an idle skill costs nothing.

  • Switch models mid-chat

    Because the skill is instructions rather than code, changing model does not break it — the next model reads the same SKILL.md.

Skill instructions

This is the SKILL.md content the model loads. Read it before installing — a skill is instructions your model will follow.

Customization

Before executing, check for user customizations at: ~/.claude/LIFEOS/USER/CUSTOMIZATIONS/SKILLS/Aphorisms/

If this directory exists, load and apply any PREFERENCES.md, configurations, or resources found there. These override default behavior. If the directory does not exist, proceed with skill defaults.

🚨 MANDATORY: Voice Notification (REQUIRED BEFORE ANY ACTION)

You MUST send this notification BEFORE doing anything else when this skill is invoked.

  1. Send voice notification:

    bash
    curl -s -X POST http://localhost:31337/notify \
      -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
      -d '{"message": "Running the WORKFLOWNAME workflow in the Aphorisms skill to ACTION"}' \
      > /dev/null 2>&1 &
  2. Output text notification:

    Running the **WorkflowName** workflow in the **Aphorisms** skill to ACTION...

This is not optional. Execute this curl command immediately upon skill invocation.

Aphorisms

Curated aphorism store with full CRUD. Deliverable: a ranked, non-repeated, attributed quote matched to the content's themes — with a one-line reason per option. Adding parses text + author, assigns themes, records source, and dedupes. Research pulls a thinker's TELOS-aligned quotes and files them by theme with sources.

Workflow Routing

When executing a workflow, output this notification directly:

Running the **WorkflowName** workflow in the **Aphorisms** skill to ACTION...
WorkflowTriggerFile
FindAphorismFind aphorism, quote for newsletter, match aphorism, suggest quote, aphorism recommendationWorkflows/FindAphorism.md
AddAphorismAdd quote, add aphorism, save quote, new aphorism, store quoteWorkflows/AddAphorism.md
ResearchThinkerResearch thinker, find quotes from, what did X say, thinker quotes onWorkflows/ResearchThinker.md
SearchAphorismsSearch aphorisms, find quotes on, quotes about, quotes matching, what aphorismsWorkflows/SearchAphorisms.md

Database

Location: ~/.claude/skills/Aphorisms/Database/aphorisms.md

Organized by author, theme, context, and usage history. Per-aphorism metadata: full quote text, author attribution, theme tags, context/background, source reference. Sections: Initial Collection, per-thinker sections, Theme Index, Newsletter Usage History.

Taxonomy (curated state)

Themes: Work Ethic & Excellence · Resilience & Strength · Learning & Education · Stoicism & Control · Risk & Action · Wisdom & Truth.

TELOS-aligned thinkers (wisdom, rationality, truth-seeking, human flourishing):

  • Christopher Hitchens — intellectual honesty, skepticism, follow the evidence
  • David Deutsch — optimistic epistemology, knowledge creation, explanations over predictions
  • Sam Harris — scientific rationality applied to ethics, reason, mindfulness
  • Baruch Spinoza — ethics from reason, freedom through understanding, acceptance
  • Richard Feynman — curiosity, doubt as a tool, clarity, scientific honesty

Gotchas

  • Search by theme, not exact text. The collection is organized by conceptual themes, not keyword matching.
  • Always include attribution and source when adding new aphorisms. Unattributed quotes are useless.
  • Duplicate detection: Check if the aphorism already exists before adding. Same idea, different wording, still counts as duplicate.

Execution Log

After completing any workflow, append a single JSONL entry:

bash
echo '{"ts":"'$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)'","skill":"Aphorisms","workflow":"WORKFLOW_USED","input":"8_WORD_SUMMARY","status":"ok|error","duration_s":SECONDS}' >> ~/.claude/LIFEOS/MEMORY/SKILLS/execution.jsonl

Replace WORKFLOW_USED with the workflow executed, 8_WORD_SUMMARY with a brief input description, and SECONDS with approximate wall-clock time. Log status: "error" if the workflow failed.

Bundled files

The model reads these on demand while the skill is loaded. They are exposed as readable files and are never executed.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Aphorisms AI skill do?

Curated aphorism collection with CRUD — content-based matching, themed search, thinker research, DB maintenance. Quotes organized by author/theme/context/usage to prevent repetition. Four workflows: FindAphorism, AddAphorism, ResearchThinker, SearchAphorisms. Themes: Stoicism, Wisdom, Truth-seeking, Excellence, Resilience, Curiosity. USE WHEN aphorism, quote, find a quote, research thinker, add aphorism, quote for newsletter, what did X say about, quote bank. NOT FOR creative writing or social posts.

Why use Aphorisms on TypingMind?

Because you install it once and use it with any model. Aphorisms is plain Markdown rather than provider-specific code, so the same skill runs on GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or a local model — and you can switch model mid-chat without it breaking. TypingMind runs on your own API keys, so you pay providers directly instead of a per-seat subscription, and your skills and chats stay in your own storage.

How do I install Aphorisms in TypingMind?

Open Plugins → Skills → Install from GitHub in TypingMind and paste https://github.com/danielmiessler/LifeOS/tree/main/LifeOS/install/skills/Aphorisms. TypingMind reads its SKILL.md and bundles its files and installs it as a skill you can enable per chat.

Which AI models can use Aphorisms?

Any model you connect in TypingMind. AI skills are plain Markdown instructions rather than provider-specific code, so GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, and local models can all load this skill when a request matches it.

How many AI models can I use with Aphorisms?

As many as you like. As long as a model supports skills, you can use Aphorisms with it — GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral, Llama and more — all on TypingMind with your own API keys.

Is the Aphorisms AI skill free?

Yes. It is published on GitHub by danielmiessler under the MIT license. You only pay your own AI provider for the tokens you use.

What are AI skills?

An AI skill is a reusable instruction bundle that teaches an AI model how to do one specific task. It follows the open Agent Skills format: a SKILL.md file with a name and description, plus any scripts, templates or reference files the model may need. The model reads the instructions only when your request matches the skill, so an installed skill costs nothing until it is used.

How are AI skills different from plugins or MCP servers?

A plugin or MCP server gives a model new tools to call — code that runs somewhere and returns a result. An AI skill gives the model knowledge and process instead: how to approach a task, which steps to follow, what good output looks like. Skills are plain Markdown, so they need no server, no API key and no runtime, and they work with any model.

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