. . . or how they shouldn’t, for best effect:

Words of wisdom needn’t sound portentous, like the narration in a biblical epic from the 1950’s. That tone is likely to sound parodic to contemporary ears. Better to keep it serious but colloquial, or even amusing and colloquial. Or at least homely, heavy on one- and two-syllable words, and avoid the high-falutin’ boilerplate. Don’t try to sound wise, which is never wise. With that in mind, you’ll find wisdom in unexpected places.