One-line philosopher.

I went to the barber this morning, and was reduced to reading the Daily Mail while I waited my turn. I found one item in it that did please me, so I now rate the Mail as 99% bad instead of 100% awful.
The bit I liked was the "one-line philosopher" feature they have towards the end of the newspaper. Readers are invited to submit a philosophy of life, in no more than one sentence (not necessarily "one line").

This morning's philosophy was:-
"If it is totally beyond comprehension, better to do nothing about it".
This can claim to be a philosophy, because it is commenting on mankind's inability to be effective in the face of our own ignorance.

However, there is a very fine line between this "philosophy" and Dennis Healey's maxim:-
"If you're in a hole, the first thing to do is to stop digging".

You also have proverbs:-
"Honesty is the best policy".
and rules of thumb:-
"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth".
"The Daily Mail is 99% bad".
What is the essential difference between a one-line philosophy, a maxim, a proverb, and a rule of thumb? Can you provide a clear example of a one-line philosophy that could not possibly be mistaken for a maxim, a proverb, or rule of thumb?
Richard Chambers Leeds UK.