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BS: Contradictory proverbs
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Subject: BS: Contrdictory proverbs From: MGM·Lion Date: 06 Dec 10 - 05:02 AM The proverb "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me" has just been quoted several times on the ongoing "Racial slurs in quotations" thread. But is it not contradicted by another familiar proverb, about the Pen being Mightier then the Sword? Similarly "Too many cooks spoil the broth" countered by "Many hands make light work"; "Look before you leap" & "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread" both contradicted by "Nothing venture, nothing win". Indeed many familiar proverbs seem to be quarrelled with by others equally familiar. More examples? ~Michael~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contrdictory proverbs From: The Fooles Troupe Date: 06 Dec 10 - 05:24 AM Depends on the interpretations given to each proverb. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contrdictory proverbs From: Crane Driver Date: 06 Dec 10 - 05:37 AM If you wish to appear wise, it is best to have a proverb to quote on every occasion. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contrdictory proverbs From: GUEST,Patsy Date: 06 Dec 10 - 07:03 AM 'The bigger they are the harder they fall' well at 5ft I'm not going to put that one to the test, I am not that foolhardy. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contrdictory proverbs From: GUEST, Sminky Date: 06 Dec 10 - 09:02 AM Michael - you can add "Strike while the iron is hot" as a counter to "Look before you leap". |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contrdictory proverbs From: GUEST, Sminky Date: 06 Dec 10 - 10:10 AM Absence makes the heart grow fonder | Out of sight, out of mind. The pen is mightier than the sword | Actions speak louder than words. Birds of a feather flock together | Opposites attract. You're never too old to learn | You can't teach an old dog new tricks Two's company, three's a crowd | The more, the merrier. Don't judge a book by its cover | Clothes make the man. Slow and steady wins the race | Time waits for no man. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contrdictory proverbs From: GUEST,Patsy Date: 06 Dec 10 - 10:40 AM Too many cooks spoil the broth. Marry in haste repent at Leisure. The pen is mightier than the sword. There is no smoke without fire. A bakers dozen / 13. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contrdictory proverbs From: Little Hawk Date: 06 Dec 10 - 10:49 AM I've also heard it said that preparing for war is the best way to secure peace while others say that an arms race is the surest way to make war inevitable...and there appears to be much historical justification for either view...depending on how you look at it. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contrdictory proverbs From: Bill D Date: 06 Dec 10 - 12:06 PM "I never met a man I didn't like." Will Rogers "Some people are like Slinkies; they serve no specific purpose, but they bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs." anon wait...maybe those aren't contradictory. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: GUEST,Guest from Sanity Date: 06 Dec 10 - 03:58 PM Fighting for peace is like fucking for virginity! GfS |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: Ed T Date: 06 Dec 10 - 04:00 PM Only sailors get blown offshore |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: GUEST,TIA Date: 06 Dec 10 - 05:07 PM Not contradictory, but my favorite Charley Chan (perhaps a racist series of books/movies) line: "Action speak louder than French" |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: MGM·Lion Date: 06 Dec 10 - 05:58 PM ... and I like Damon Runyon's take on one of Solomon's Proverbs ~~ The race is not always to the swift nor the battle to the strong, but that is the way to bet. ~M~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: Little Hawk Date: 06 Dec 10 - 06:17 PM Victory doesn't always go to the big battalions either....but it usually does. Two cases where it didn't: The Battle of Midway (where weaker American forces achieved complete surprise due to excellent codebreaking of Japanese military messages). The fighting on the Eastern Front in WWI where a numerically much smaller German Army achieved decisive victories over an enormous but terribly incompetent and poorly trained Russian Army. That eventually led to the Russian revolution in 1917 and an armistace between Russia and the Central Powers...but it came just a little too late to win the Germans the war. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: GUEST,Guest from Sanity Date: 07 Dec 10 - 12:43 AM Little Hawk: ' Victory doesn't always go to the big battalions either....but it usually does. Two cases where it didn't:".....Alvin York killed 21 German soldiers and captured 132 on October 8, 1918....by himself! GfS |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: mousethief Date: 07 Dec 10 - 01:03 AM you can add "Strike while the iron is hot" as a counter to "Look before you leap". Also, "He who hesitates is lost." Contrasted with, "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread." Is there an opposite for, "In for a penny, in for a pound" or its cousin, "Just as soon be hanged for a sheep as for a lamb"? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: MGM·Lion Date: 07 Dec 10 - 02:42 AM Mousethief ~~ how about: Look after the pence & the pounds will take care of themselves? ~M~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: saulgoldie Date: 07 Dec 10 - 07:18 AM This thread is GREAT! My wife teaches English to second language speakers, and idioms are an important part of her lessons. I will share this thread with her, and I hope people keep contributing! Saul |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: mousethief Date: 07 Dec 10 - 09:39 AM MtheGM -- that's about pence and pounds, but it's using them to make a statement about something else, it seems. Here's two opposites, quite plain to see:
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: Little Hawk Date: 07 Dec 10 - 03:44 PM Well, it kind of proves how the human mind can always come up with a line to justify any specific course of action, doesn't it? ;-) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: Ed T Date: 07 Dec 10 - 03:46 PM There is no cure for curiosity. Curiosity killed the cat. But, satisfaction brought him back. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: Ed T Date: 07 Dec 10 - 03:55 PM Silence is an attribute of the dead; he who is alive speaks. Silence is golden, speech is silver. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: Little Hawk Date: 07 Dec 10 - 04:13 PM With age comes wisdom. There's no fool like an old fool. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: JohnInKansas Date: 07 Dec 10 - 05:12 PM 'The bigger they are the harder they fall' ... In my area that would be considered a misquoting. Here, it's usually The bigger they are the harder they HIT. Reflection on the difference may discover some link to the idiotic obsession with "American footbal," but I believe "our" version first came from a rather old (40s or 50s?) movie. John |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: Mo the caller Date: 07 Dec 10 - 05:13 PM Nothing ventured nothing gained..... A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: olddude Date: 07 Dec 10 - 05:18 PM idiotic obsession with "American football Back off Bucko !! American Football is a real sport |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: Ed T Date: 07 Dec 10 - 05:44 PM An old fool is worse than a young simpleton. An old lion is better than a young ass. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: Ed T Date: 07 Dec 10 - 05:57 PM What came first, the chicken or the egg? Ask a silly question and you get a silly answer. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: mousethief Date: 07 Dec 10 - 06:08 PM You can't teach an old dog new tricks. It's never to late to learn. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: Ed T Date: 07 Dec 10 - 07:16 PM Birds of a feather flock together. Don't judge any man until you have walked two moons in his moccasins |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: Ed T Date: 07 Dec 10 - 07:27 PM "Don't change horses in midstream" "Know when to cut your losses and let your profits run" |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: Ed T Date: 07 Dec 10 - 07:30 PM Familiarity breeds contempt Better the devil you know than the devil you don't |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: Ed T Date: 07 Dec 10 - 07:41 PM If first you don't succeed, try, try again Opportunity never knocks twice at any man's door |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: Ed T Date: 07 Dec 10 - 07:51 PM The best things in life are free For every joy, there is a price to be paid Or, The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: Ed T Date: 07 Dec 10 - 08:03 PM Marriages are made in heaven Below the navel there is neither religion nor truth |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: MGM·Lion Date: 07 Dec 10 - 10:43 PM Fine feathers make fine birds, eh? But beauty is only skin deep, isn't it? ~M~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: Doug Chadwick Date: 07 Dec 10 - 11:46 PM Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Beware Greeks bearing gifts. or There's no such thing as a free lunch. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: mousethief Date: 08 Dec 10 - 12:09 AM Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me. vs I fear three newspapers more than a hundred thousand bayonets. - Napoleon |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: GUEST,Patsy Date: 08 Dec 10 - 04:46 AM An empty mind is the devil's playground - so if I am not thinking about anything in particular does that mean I am dangerous? Having the temper of a racehorse - I have never seen one have an arguement with anyone as far as I know. Empty vessels make the most sound - huh? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: Ed T Date: 08 Dec 10 - 07:19 AM "Be on a horse when you go in search of a better one" "Before you mount, look to the girth" I suspect these relate to horse riding. Hopefully, not mating, nor marriage:) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: Bee-dubya-ell Date: 08 Dec 10 - 10:00 AM Since there are at least two unwise ways of doing something for every wise way, the existence of of seemingly contradictory proverbs is not only unsurprising, but inevitable. Proverbs are meant to promote wise behavior. Wise behavior often exists toward the middle of a behavioral spectrum and is flanked by unwise behaviors on either end. For every wise mode of behavior there are two opposing unwise modes. For example, responsible frugality is flanked by miserliness on the left and spendthriftness on the right. "Look before you leap" and "take the bull by the horns" are proverbs which seem contradictory, but really aren't. One addresses the problem of rashness while the other addresses the problem of indecisiveness. Rashness and indecisiveness are opposite but equally defective modes of decision making. The two proverbs are both meant to steer one away from opposite but equally undesirable extremes and toward a more reasonable and prudent middle. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: GUEST,Patsy Date: 08 Dec 10 - 10:27 AM One funny saying from a Devonish girl I used to know way back 'The horse has to be shod before it's ridden/mounted' I believe she was trying to get a new pair of shoes out of her tight husband. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: eddie1 Date: 08 Dec 10 - 11:41 AM Whoever said. "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." has obviously never spent a couple of hours in the bushes with two birds! (For the benefit of our non-UK friends, "bird" is UK slang for a young, usually attractive, lady.) Eddie |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: mousethief Date: 08 Dec 10 - 01:32 PM I remember in the Uncle Bonsai song, "Penis Envy" that they sang, "One in the hand is worth one in the bush." I'm sure they were talking about our avian friends amongst the shrubbery. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Contradictory proverbs From: GUEST,BobL Date: 09 Dec 10 - 04:48 AM A bird entering a bush is typical folksong symbolism: sounds totally innocent, but everyone knows what's going on. But applied to your proverbial bird in the hand... |
