Customization

🚨 MANDATORY: Voice Notification (REQUIRED BEFORE ANY ACTION)

1. Send voice notification:
   bashCopy

   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...

Aphorisms

What It Does

The Problem

How It Works

Workflow Routing

When to Activate This Skill

Direct Aphorism Requests

• "find aphorism", "find a quote", "find quote for X"
• "search aphorisms", "search quotes", "look up quote"
• "what aphorism", "which quote", "perfect quote for"
• "suggest aphorism", "recommend quote", "match quote to"
• "aphorism for newsletter", "quote for blog post", "quote for article"

Database Management

• "add aphorism", "add quote", "save this quote"
• "new aphorism", "include quote", "store this"
• "update aphorism database", "manage quotes"

Research & Discovery

• "research [thinker] quotes", "find [author] aphorisms"
• "what did [philosopher] say about", "quotes from [thinker]"
• "Hitchens quotes", "Feynman wisdom", "Spinoza aphorisms"
• "Sam Harris on [topic]", "David Deutsch quotes"

Theme-Based Search

• "aphorisms about [theme]", "quotes on [topic]"
• "show quotes about resilience", "wisdom on learning"
• "stoic quotes", "quotes matching [keyword]"

Newsletter Workflow Integration

• User working on newsletter and needs aphorism
• Mentions "newsletter" + "quote" or "aphorism"
• Content analysis for quote matching
• Avoiding previously used quotes

Use Case Indicators

• Need wisdom quote to open/close newsletter
• Want thematically relevant aphorism
• Building quote collection
• Researching philosopher's ideas
• Managing aphorism library

Core Capabilities

1. Intelligent Quote Matching

• Extract key themes from content
• Match themes to aphorism database
• Consider tone and style alignment
• Avoid recently used quotes
• Provide multiple options with rationale

2. Comprehensive Database

• Author - Thinkers aligned with TELOS philosophy
• Theme - Categories like resilience, learning, stoicism, risk, progress
• Context - Background on quote origin and meaning
• Usage History - Track which quotes used in which newsletters

3. Thinker Research

• Christopher Hitchens - Rationality, skepticism, intellectual honesty
• David Deutsch - Knowledge creation, optimism, explanations
• Sam Harris - Rationality, meditation, free will, morality
• Baruch Spinoza - Ethics, reason, freedom, nature
• Richard Feynman - Curiosity, scientific thinking, doubt, clarity

4. Theme-Based Organization

• Work Ethic & Excellence - Craft, mastery, high standards
• Resilience & Strength - Adversity, persistence, growth
• Learning & Education - Curiosity, continuous improvement
• Stoicism & Control - Internal locus, acceptance, discipline
• Risk & Action - Courage, failure, experimentation
• Wisdom & Truth - Rationality, evidence, honest inquiry

Database Structure

1. Initial Collection - 15 curated quotes covering core themes
2. Thinkers Aligned with TELOS - Sections for Hitchens, Deutsch, Harris, Spinoza, Feynman (to be populated)
3. Theme Index - Quick reference by category
4. Newsletter Usage History - Tracking to avoid repetition

• Full quote text
• Author attribution
• Theme tags
• Context and background
• Source reference (when available)

Available Workflows

Quote Discovery & Matching

• Analyze content themes and tone
• Search database for thematic matches
• Consider usage history
• Provide top 3-5 recommendations with rationale
• Include quote, author, and why it fits

Database Management

• Accept quote text and author
• Extract or assign themes
• Add context and background
• Update theme index
• Validate uniqueness

Research Operations

• Research specific philosopher's relevant quotes
• Focus on TELOS-aligned themes
• Add quotes to appropriate database section
• Include context and sources
• Update theme index

Search & Discovery

• Search by theme, keyword, or author
• Return matching aphorisms
• Sort by relevance or usage
• Provide context for each result

Integration Points

Newsletter Content Skill

• Automatic aphorism suggestions when creating newsletter
• Theme analysis from newsletter content
• Usage tracking for variety

Research Skill

• Deep thinker research capabilities
• Web research for quote verification
• Source attribution and context

Writing Skill

• Blog post quote recommendations
• Story explanation enhancement
• Content opening/closing quotes

Key Thinkers & Philosophy Alignment

Why These Thinkers?

• Intellectual honesty and skepticism
• Question everything, follow evidence
• "What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence"

• Optimistic epistemology - problems are solvable
• Knowledge creation through criticism
• Emphasis on explanations, not just predictions

• Scientific rationality applied to ethics
• Importance of reason and evidence
• Mindfulness and self-awareness

• Ethics based on reason
• Freedom through understanding
• Reality acceptance and wisdom

• Curiosity-driven learning
• Doubt as a tool for knowledge
• Clarity of thought and explanation
• Scientific honesty

Research Priority

1. Immediate: Analyze previous newsletters for aphorism patterns
2. Phase 1: Research Hitchens and Feynman (most quotable, clear style)
3. Phase 2: Research Harris and Deutsch (contemporary, relevant)
4. Phase 3: Research Spinoza (historical, philosophical depth)

Examples

Example 1: Finding Aphorism for Newsletter

1. Analyze themes: resilience, adversity, persistence, progress
2. Search database for matching themes
3. Recommend top 3 options:
   • Rocky Balboa quote (direct, powerful on getting hit and moving forward)
   • Bob Marley quote (strength through necessity)
   • Marcus Aurelius quote (stoic control focus)
4. Provide rationale for each

Example 2: Adding New Quote

1. Parse quote and author
2. Identify themes: curiosity, learning, passion
3. Add to database with context
4. Update theme index
5. Confirm addition

Example 3: Researching Thinker

1. Research Deutsch's works (The Beginning of Infinity, The Fabric of Reality)
2. Extract relevant quotes on knowledge creation and optimism
3. Add to database with source attribution
4. Organize by theme
5. Report findings

Example 4: Theme Search

1. Search database for learning/education theme
2. Return matching quotes:
   • Gandhi (live/learn)
   • Krishnamurti (lifelong learning)
   • Confucius (learning + thinking)
   • Aaron Swartz (curiosity)
3. Provide context for each

Best Practices

Quote Selection for Newsletter

1. Avoid repetition - Check usage history before reusing

Database Maintenance

1. Verify accuracy - Check quote text and attribution
2. Track usage - Update history to avoid overuse

Thinker Research

1. Primary sources - Prefer direct quotes from books/speeches
2. Avoid misattribution - Verify quote authenticity
3. TELOS alignment - Focus on wisdom, rationality, truth-seeking

Future Enhancements

Planned Features

1. Automatic theme detection - ML-based content analysis
2. Quote recommendation engine - Collaborative filtering based on past selections
3. Integration with previous newsletters - Analyze historical aphorism usage patterns
4. Expanded thinker research - Add more philosophers aligned with TELOS
5. Mood/tone matching - Match quote emotional tone to content
6. Quote formatting - Auto-format for newsletter style

Long-term Vision

• Comprehensive wisdom library covering all content needs
• Predictive recommendations based on newsletter draft
• Historical analysis of most impactful quotes
• Community contributions (vetted)
• Integration with other writing workflows

Quick Reference

• "Find aphorism for this newsletter" → Analyze content and recommend
• "Add this quote" → Add to database with metadata
• "Research [thinker] quotes" → Deep research and database population
• "Search aphorisms about [theme]" → Theme-based search

• 15 initial quotes (initial collection)
• 5 thinker sections (to be populated)
• 12+ theme categories

Related Skills

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

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