Aphorisms are typically short statements that reveal an universal truth. Epigrams also do this, but tend to have a satirical or comedic twist, which can make it hard to tell them apart from each other. For example, one of Oscar Wilde’s most famous quotes is ‘In this world, there are only two tragedies. One is not getting what we want, and the other is getting it’ is an Aphorism rather than an Epigram, as it is a statement of truth rather than a joke or poetic piece.