# "Anything's possible" - No, it freakin' isn't! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 9, 2011, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415 "2011-07-09T15:25:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/1 "2011-07-09T15:25:10Z")
Why do people make this dumb, stupid statement? Anything is NOT possible. There are plenty of things that can’t possibly happen and couldn’t possibly have happened. This is true in this life generally, but there is one place where it really bugs me. It usually comes on an episode of _Law & Order_\* during cross-examination when either the defense or the prosecution is trying to discredit an expert witness or a police detective or something. “Isn’t it true, Detective Jones, that the beanie with the yellow tassel might have been left there when a flying monkey came down her chimney, bit her, and then flew back up the chimney, leaving the evidence in the locked apartment?” “Well, that hardly seems likely, given that–” “But isn’t it POSSIBLE?” “I guess _anything’s possible_…” I want to scream (and often do scream) at the TV, “NO! ANYTHING IS \*\*NOT \*\*POSSIBLE! STICK TO YOUR GUNS AND DON’T BE BULLIED INTO AGREEING TO SOMETHING SO LAME!” Thank you. I feel better. \*My name is ThelmaLou and I’m a _Law & Order_ addict. \*Hello, ThelmaLou! \* ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/2 "2011-07-09T15:29:31Z")
I think the best answer to defense lawyers’ “but isn’t it possible that…” question would be “In the asinine sense that any quadrillion-to-one miracle is technically possible, yes”. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/3 "2011-07-09T15:47:59Z")
What bugs me is when the plot-compliant witness begins his answer with the main clause instead of the subordinate clause, so he can get cut off (“Thank you for that answer. No further answer required”) at “It’s possible” instead of “Well, in the ludicrous sense that magic pixies could have done it, yes, it’s possible, but–” This occurs roughly 100% of the time that it moves the plot where the writers want it moved. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/4 "2011-07-09T15:55:40Z")
Similarly, trite motivational statements. There’s no such thing as can’t. Do or not do. There is no try. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/5 "2011-07-09T15:58:38Z")
‘How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, _however improbable_, must be the truth?’ – Sherlock Holmes ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/6 "2011-07-09T16:13:07Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > ‘How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, _however improbable_, must be the truth?’ – Sherlock Holmes One of my favorite quotations. I pull it out and use it rather often, actually. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/7 "2011-07-09T16:15:55Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > One of my favorite quotations. I pull it out and use it rather often, actually. 🙂 Shame it’s total bollocks. It just doesn’t stand up to logical scrutiny at all. Eliminate the _impossible_ and you are still left with an almost infinite number of _possible_ situations. But only one of them actually happened. I really don’t know what Conan Doyle was playing at when he wrote this line. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/8 "2011-07-09T16:40:12Z")
Buzz-kill. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/9 "2011-07-09T16:44:12Z")
Add in quantum and you’ll find that technically, anything is possible. Probable, no. Possible, yes. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/10 "2011-07-09T18:45:38Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Shame it’s total bollocks. It just doesn’t stand up to logical scrutiny at all. Eliminate the _impossible_ and you are still left with an almost infinite number of _possible_ situations. But only one of them actually happened. I really don’t know what Conan Doyle was playing at when he wrote this line. This one bugs me too. It’s often used as an excuse to blame someone for something lacking any evidence. The worst case I recall happened years back in an explosion that damaged a US Battleship. The Navy investigation concluded it was caused by a gay sailor committing suicide because they eliminated every other possibility. In other words, there was no other way for 100s of pounds of gunpowder to go off except for the deliberate act of a sailor suspected of being gay. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/11 "2011-07-09T19:51:05Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > In other words, there was no other way for 100s of pounds of gunpowder to go off except for the deliberate act of a sailor suspected of being gay. To be fair, it was gunpowder and the guy was absolutely _flaming_. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/12 "2011-07-09T21:01:34Z")
Y’know, there was a time when I’d have been right there with you, on this rant. Since then, life has intervened, in ways that have convinced me that, indeed, anything is possible. Your results may vary, of course. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/13 "2011-07-09T21:08:09Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Y’know, there was a time when I’d have been right there with you, on this rant. > > Since then, life has intervened, in ways that have convinced me that, indeed, anything is possible. > > Your results may vary, of course. Sorry, no. LOTS of things are possible. Lots of things that you can’t possibly imagine are possible. The imagination and creativity of The Infinite Mind/Vastness (whatever you want to call it) is waaaaay beyond what we can begin to imagine, let alone bring about. But to say and literally mean: ANYTHING is possible. Nope. For one thing, my late husband will not walk through the door. (And don’t say, that’s not what you meant, because that comes under the heading of “anything.”) ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/14 "2011-07-09T21:23:36Z")
Can we throw “Everything happens for a reason” into this bashing? Because I _hate_ that one. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/15 "2011-07-09T21:24:47Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Why do people make this dumb, stupid statement? For one thing, because so many people believe or want to believe in things that are impossible, and if they admit that some things are just impossible they in the process are admitting that their pet fantasies aren’t true. As well, there’s the second step; pretending that all possibilities should be taken equally seriously. Believers in religions, conspiracy theories and all sorts of woo do that all the time. They believe in things that are both impossible, and wildly ridiculous even if they were possible; and with those two steps elevate the ridiculously impossible into a claim they believe deserves to be taken seriously. ---
**Author:** ![Daylate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9dc877/32.png) [@Daylate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylate)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/16 "2011-07-09T21:40:08Z")
OK guys. Do you know that it is actually possible to put a teakettle of water on a lit burner and have it freeze? According to thermodynamic theory, this is within the realm of possbility. I don’t remember the actual probability of this happening, but it makes the average megabucks lottery look like a sure thing. ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/17 "2011-07-09T21:45:40Z")
anything is possible, jump to the moon, under your own unassisted power using nothing but your own naked body. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/18 "2011-07-09T22:02:01Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > “Isn’t it true, Detective Jones, that the beanie with the yellow tassel might have been left there when a flying monkey came down her chimney, bit her, and then flew back up the chimney, leaving the evidence in the locked apartment?” > > “Well, that hardly seems likely, given that–” > > “But isn’t it POSSIBLE?” > > “I guess _anything’s possible_…” > > I want to scream (and often do scream) at the TV, “NO! ANYTHING IS \*\*NOT \*\*POSSIBLE! STICK TO YOUR GUNS AND DON’T BE BULLIED INTO AGREEING TO SOMETHING SO LAME!” In this context I don’t think the phrase “anything’s possible” is actually expressing agreement, nor does it mean that literally ANYTHING is indeed possible. The “anything” is just hyperbole. While “Anything’s possible!” can be used to encourage someone or express agreement that their dreams might come true, in situations like your example it means something more like “It’s possible, but a lot of things are possible. That doesn’t mean it actually happened that way.” Or maybe “I confess that I cannot conclusively prove that such a thing did not happen, but it is no more likely than any number of other far-fetched scenarios one might come up with.” ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/19 "2011-07-09T22:22:51Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > Originally Posted by TriPolar View Post > In other words, there was no other way for 100s of pounds of gunpowder to go off except for the deliberate act of a sailor suspected of being gay. > > To be fair, it was gunpowder and the guy was absolutely _flaming_. Actually mrAru and I knew the guy, and we should be miffed at the joke but he would have found that absolutely hysterical … how many guys would play a gay gnomish fishmonger paladin … ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/20 "2011-07-09T22:33:27Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > In this context I don’t think the phrase “anything’s possible” is actually expressing agreement, nor does it mean that literally ANYTHING is indeed possible. The “anything” is just hyperbole. > > While “Anything’s possible!” can be used to encourage someone or express agreement that their dreams might come true, in situations like your example it means something more like “It’s possible, but a lot of things are possible. That doesn’t mean it actually happened that way.” Or maybe “I confess that I cannot conclusively prove that such a thing did not happen, but it is no more likely than any number of other far-fetched scenarios one might come up with.” You’re right… we kinda got off track… not that there’s anything wrong with that. This rant was kicked off by watching a Law & Order marathon. :rolleyes: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415.md?page=2)