diff --git a/ipse b/ipse
index 8a7db3f..60a72c5 100755
--- a/ipse
+++ b/ipse
@@ -10,13 +10,19 @@
 import sys
 import os
 import random
-from typing import TextIO
+from typing import TextIO, NoReturn
 
-if len(sys.argv) < 2 and sys.stdin.isatty():
-    print(f"Usage: {sys.argv[0]} ipse-files-and-or-dirs-required-if-no-pipe-to-stdin...")
-    print("Reads files (stdin counts as a file if the script is used in a pipeline), splits on \\n\\n, replaces backslash-only lines with blank lines, and picks one part randomly. If directories are passed in as arguments, all files (and directories) within those dirs will be recursively included.")
+def help() -> NoReturn:
+    print(f"Usage: {sys.argv[0]} [ipse-files-and/or-dirs...]")
+    print("""	Ipse reads files, splits on \\n\\n, replaces backslash-only lines with blank lines, and picks one part randomly.
+	Stdin counts as a file if the script is used in a pipeline.
+	If no arguments are given (and the script is being used interactively (not in a pipeline)), ~/.ipse is used implicitly.
+	If directories are passed in as arguments, all files (and directories) within those dirs will be recursively included.""")
     sys.exit(22)
 
+if any(x in sys.argv for x in ["-help", "--help", "-h", "--h"]):
+    help()
+
 def process_file(filelike: TextIO):
     return [ part.replace('\n\\\n', '\n\n') for part in filelike.read().split('\n\n') ]
 
@@ -24,11 +30,18 @@ parts: list[str] = []
 if not sys.stdin.isatty():
     parts.extend(process_file(sys.stdin))
 args: list[str] = sys.argv[1:]
+if sys.stdin.isatty() and len(args) == 0:
+    args = ["~/.ipse"]
+#print(args)
 for arg in args:
+    arg = os.path.expanduser(arg)
     if os.path.isdir(arg):
       args += [ os.path.join(arg, entry) for entry in os.listdir(arg) ]
     else:
       with open(arg) as f:
           parts.extend(process_file(f))
 
+if len(parts) == 0:
+    help()
+
 print(random.choice(parts))