【Saying】 , 【saw】 , 【adage】 , 【proverb】 , 【maxim】 , 【motto】 , 【epigram】 , 【aphorism】 , 【apothegm】 can all denote a sententious expression of a general truth.
A 【saying】 is a brief current or habitual expression that may be anonymous, traditional, or attributable to a specific source.
A 【saw】 is an oft-repeated and usually traditional or old 【saying】 .
An 【adage】 is a 【saying】 given credit by long use and general acceptance.
A 【proverb】 is an 【adage】 couched, usually, in homely and vividly concrete or figurative phrase.
A 【maxim】 offers a general truth, fundamental principle, or rule of conduct often in the form of a 【proverb】 .
A 【motto】 is usually a 【maxim】 or moral 【aphorism】 adopted by a person, a society, or an institution as a guiding principle or as a statement of an aim or ideal.
The last three terms, 【epigram】 , 【aphorism】 , and 【apothegm】 , commonly imply known authorship and a conscious literary quality.
An 【epigram】 gets its effectiveness from its terseness and a witty turn of phrase; it characteristically presents a paradox or a cleverly pointed antithesis.
An 【aphorism】 is a pithy 【epigram】 that requires some thought.
An 【apothegm】 is a sharply pointed and often startling 【aphorism】 such as Johnson's remark, "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel."
