# "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:** 3
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/41 "2011-07-10T16:07:05Z")
> [@Critical1](#): > > anything is possible, > jump to the moon, under your own unassisted power using nothing but your own naked body. Don’t tell me the sky’s the limit… …when there are footsteps on the Moon. ::wipes motivational tear from eye:: ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/42 "2011-07-10T16:54:09Z")
“The universe doesn’t send you more that you can bear.” Or whatever it actually is. I think I hate this one the most. I know people who have committed suicide, the universe pretty clearly sent them more than they could bear. ---
**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 10, 2011, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/43 "2011-07-10T17:19:04Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > Can we throw “Everything happens for a reason” into this bashing? Because I _hate_ that one. Everything does happen for a reason. Usually those reasons are the laws of physics acting on the universe as it is in that state at the moment. But it’s a reason. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/44 "2011-07-10T17:19:04Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > “The universe doesn’t send you more that you can bear.” Or whatever it actually is. I think I hate this one the most. Oh it absolutely does. The Universe doesn’t give a shit about you or I. The Universe is Shiva and Kali, both infinitely hospitable to Life, and infinitely hospitable to Death. Everything dies, even those things that are not alive - even protons have a half-life. There is no ‘fair’ in the Universe. That is a human concept, which is another discussion altogether. Once you can get past the idea that the Universe is “fair”, you can get past the idea that God Is An Evil Bastard Who Hates Me, or God Is Punishing Me For Something I Have Done, or other silly concepts that warp and distort who we are and how we treat others. The Universe is NOT fair, and it is not out to get YOU personally. The Universe simply IS. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/45 "2011-07-10T18:54:21Z")
“the exception that proves the rule!” Eh? if it is a rule, and you show me an exception to it, then it isn’t a rule. ---
**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 10, 2011, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/46 "2011-07-10T19:01:28Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > “the exception that proves the rule!” > > Eh? if it is a rule, and you show me an exception to it, then it isn’t a rule. I always understood this confusing statement to mean NOT “the exception proves the rule to be true,” but that the word “proves” in this context means “tests,” so the statement really is saying, “the exception TESTS the rule,” or “the exception puts the rule to the test,” or “the exception requires the rule to \*prove \*itself.” \*Prove \*as in “proofing yeast,” which means testing it to see if it is active/alive. I didn’t say it made sense. ---
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/47 "2011-07-10T20:06:27Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I always understood this confusing statement to mean NOT “the exception proves the rule to be true,” but that the word “proves” in this context means “tests,” so the statement really is saying, “the exception TESTS the rule,” or “the exception puts the rule to the test,” or “the exception requires the rule to \*prove \*itself.” > > \*Prove \*as in “proofing yeast,” which means testing it to see if it is active/alive. > > I didn’t say it made sense. [Not quite](http://www.snopes.com/language/notthink/exception.asp). ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/48 "2011-07-10T20:07:08Z")
> [@RadicalPi](#): > > What is wrong with this? Yeah, what’s wrong? It is indeed an outrage that they pick up a letter at your front door, deliver it to the front door of your aunt on the other side of the country, and then have the nerve to charge you 44¢ for it. The point is that North Americans seem to get “outraged” by the slightest inconvenience, like having to wait in line for services that are over-burdened because they don’t want to pay for them with taxes. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/49 "2011-07-10T20:55:51Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > The point is that North Americans seem to get “outraged” by the slightest inconvenience, like having to wait in line for services that are over-burdened because they don’t want to pay for them with taxes. Sir! I am outraged! OUTRAGED!!! That you would accuse me of this! ---
**Author:** ![DHMO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecc23a/32.png) [@DHMO](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DHMO)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/50 "2011-07-10T20:59:55Z")
The [Master](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/731/whats-the-meaning-of-the-expression-thats-the-exception-that-proves-the-rule) Speaks. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/51 "2011-07-10T21:20:21Z")
> [@DHMO](#): > > The [Master](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/731/whats-the-meaning-of-the-expression-thats-the-exception-that-proves-the-rule) Speaks. In the column Cecil mentions how this is useful in traffic situations. [A thread regarding this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=611243) came up recently. The idea is that, if the sign says, “No U-Turns from 9am to 5pm,” you can assume that U-turns are okay at other times. The sign doesn’t say, “No U-Turns. Especially from 9am to 5pm!” ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/52 "2011-07-10T23:00:14Z")
Homer Simpson: “That which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?” Dr Hibbert: “Actually, your heart attack has left you as weak as a little girl!” ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/53 "2011-07-11T06:00:30Z")
It doesn’t make me see red or anything but I automatically assume people who say “the proof is in the pudding,” are parrot people who talk but don’t listen to themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/54 "2011-07-11T12:48:08Z")
That which does not kill me might actually cripple me for life. ---
**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 11, 2011, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/55 "2011-07-11T13:55:42Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > It doesn’t make me see red or anything but I automatically assume people who say “the proof is in the pudding,” are parrot people who talk but don’t listen to themselves. The whole expression is \*“the proof of the pudding is in the eating,” \*which makes more sense than the truncated version. ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/56 "2011-07-11T14:04:13Z")
Hey, c’mon, all you have to do is want it bad enough. (If that were true, Superman would have flown down and beat the shit out of my big brother when I was six, because nobody anywhere at any time wanted something as badly as I wanted that). ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/57 "2011-07-11T14:17:59Z")
> [@](#): > > jump to the moon, under your own unassisted power using nothing but your own naked body. > [@](#): > > Try flying to the moon in a cessna. Damn, those were hard. Bit it was way easier without the cessna. Next? ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/58 "2011-07-11T18:05:48Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > The whole expression is \*“the proof of the pudding is in the eating,” \*which makes more sense than the truncated version. Exactly. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/59 "2011-07-11T18:38:59Z")
Can’t we agree that in most cases when someone says “Anything’s possible,” it’s just a hyperbolic way of saying “A whole lot of things are possible”? ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415/60 "2011-07-11T19:02:08Z")
One of my favorite bits on the sort of scene **ThelmaLout** is deriding seems to involve a lawyer questioning a medical examiner: > [@](#): > > Lawyer: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse? > Witness: No. > Lawyer: Did you check for blood pressure? > Witness: No. > Lawyer: Did you check for breathing? > Witness: No. > Lawyer: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy? > Witness: No. > Lawyer: How can you be so sure, Doctor? > Witness: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar. > Lawyer: But could the patient have still been alive nevertheless? > Witness: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law somewhere. I seriously doubt that it ever happened, but it’s the sort of thing you wish a witness would say when watching one of those obnoxious scenes. (I’m not what you’d call a fan of courtroom procedurals.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anythings-possible-no-it-freakin-isnt/588415.md?page=4)