# Clichés you often hear that aren't true **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 2, 2009, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-you-often-hear-that-arent-true/498462 "2009-06-02T05:57:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-you-often-hear-that-arent-true/498462/1 "2009-06-02T05:57:39Z")
Inspired by Bob Woodruff’s special _Earth 2100_, which (on the clip showed on _The Daily Show_) uses the tired old “if you put a frog in boiling water he’ll jump out but if you put him in cold water and heat it gradually he’ll stay in til he boils to death”. This is an interesting and perhaps effective metaphor, but it’s [not true](http://www.snopes.com/critters/wild/frogboil.asp). In fact, if you raise the heat too quickly the frog will jump out from the heat, too gradually he’ll jump out because that’s what frogs do- they don’t sit still for 20 hours at a time. -=-=- I still hear “Until Columbus they thought the world was flat” a ridiculous degree on shows that should know better. I won’t even go into this one here other than to say that by Columbus it had been accepted science that the world was a ball for well over 1000 years (wiki Aristotle, Eratosthenes, and others for cite). What are some others? ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-you-often-hear-that-arent-true/498462/2 "2009-06-02T06:29:26Z")
It’s funny you should mention this. I just read an article the other day tittled: “Opposites do NOT attract” the article stated that statistic show that people who have _more_ in common are more likely to have lasting relationships. (romanticaly speaking) ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-you-often-hear-that-arent-true/498462/3 "2009-06-02T06:35:47Z")
“There’s no such thing as bad publicity.” Tell that to Howard Dean. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-you-often-hear-that-arent-true/498462/4 "2009-06-02T06:44:55Z")
I’m going to pinch a movie quote that’s become a cliche. “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.” I’d have a better idea of where I was going if my life came with a picture on the front of the box, a list of ingredients on the side and a map under the lid. ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-you-often-hear-that-arent-true/498462/5 "2009-06-02T07:11:29Z")
“It’s better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.” Really? Not always true. I’ve had some pretty painful break-ups in my life and I’ve often felt that I’d have been better off alone the whole time. “What comes around goes around.” Explain that one to Idi Amin, who spent his sunset years lounging pool-side in Saudi hotels. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-you-often-hear-that-arent-true/498462/6 "2009-06-02T07:33:49Z")
> [@Shamozzle](#): > > “It’s better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.” > > Really? Not always true. I’ve had some pretty painful break-ups in my life and I’ve often felt that I’d have been better off alone the whole time. Similar one: “God never gives you more than you can handle”. Explain nervous breakdowns, suicides, and terminal illnesses then. ---
**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:** [June 2, 2009, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-you-often-hear-that-arent-true/498462/7 "2009-06-02T08:03:06Z")
Irish are no [more prone to drunkenness than anyone else](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8540906). ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-you-often-hear-that-arent-true/498462/8 "2009-06-02T09:13:15Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Irish are no [more prone to drunkenness than anyone else](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8540906). Based on your cite, I think you should say that “the Irish are no more prone to drunkenness than the _British_.” The British are hardly “anyone else.” ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-you-often-hear-that-arent-true/498462/9 "2009-06-02T09:22:41Z")
“The exception that proves the rule.” ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-you-often-hear-that-arent-true/498462/10 "2009-06-02T12:54:55Z")
‘Feed a cold, starve a fever’. Apparently you’re supposed to feed both - your body needs the energy when you’re ill ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-you-often-hear-that-arent-true/498462/11 "2009-06-02T13:09:16Z")
“The customer is always right.” No, sometimes the customer is a raving loony, making demands that would bankrupt you. “Better safe than sorry.” Take this one to heart, and you’d never get out of bed. ---
**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:** [June 2, 2009, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-you-often-hear-that-arent-true/498462/12 "2009-06-02T13:16:01Z")
> [@Alka\_Seltzer](#): > > “The exception that proves the rule.” [Cecil’s discussion on that one.](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/731/whats-the-meaning-of-the-expression-thats-the-exception-that-proves-the-rule) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-you-often-hear-that-arent-true/498462/13 "2009-06-02T13:20:24Z")
> [@Shamozzle](#): > > “What comes around goes around.” > > Explain that one to Idi Amin, who spent his sunset years lounging pool-side in Saudi hotels. If it makes you feel any better, he suffered from impotence and ate a dozen oranges every day because he thought Vitamin C would restore his erection. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-you-often-hear-that-arent-true/498462/14 "2009-06-02T13:21:07Z")
“You get what you pay for”. Buy some in-season fresh tomatoes and some out-of-season ones. Note which ones taste better and which ones are more expensive. (You could try this with many other fruits and vegetables if you don’t like tomatoes) > [@Sampiro](#): > > Similar one: “God never gives you more than you can handle”. Explain nervous breakdowns, suicides, and terminal illnesses then. Or any death. If someone dies, it’s a pretty good sign that something happened that was more than they could handle. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-you-often-hear-that-arent-true/498462/15 "2009-06-02T13:26:31Z")
> [@Early\_Out](#): > > “The customer is always right.” No, sometimes the customer is a raving loony, making demands that would bankrupt you. [Heh.](http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/comic.php?d=20090313) “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.” To quote _The Mighty Boosh_, “What about smoke machines?” ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-you-often-hear-that-arent-true/498462/16 "2009-06-02T15:51:12Z")
“You have to be cruel to be kind.” Not a good cliché in the hands of an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-you-often-hear-that-arent-true/498462/17 "2009-06-02T16:03:39Z")
“ **A fish rots from the head down**.” People say that to be cynical about corruption. Actually, a fish rots from the gut out. That’s where most of a fish’s bacteria are. I’m rather fond of \*\*“Feed the exception, starve the rule.” \*\*It makes no sense, but that’s why I like it. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-you-often-hear-that-arent-true/498462/18 "2009-06-02T16:13:27Z")
**The early bird gets the worm.** But the early worm gets eaten, so… ? **Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.** Pretty sure that just means you’re working first shift. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-you-often-hear-that-arent-true/498462/19 "2009-06-02T16:23:20Z")
> [@SHAKES](#): > > It’s funny you should mention this. > I just read an article the other day tittled: “Opposites do NOT attract” the article stated that statistic show that people who have _more_ in common are more likely to have lasting relationships. (romanticaly speaking) Did this article have to do with the study they did last year that discovered that people **aren’t** looking for partners who are dumber, uglier, and poorer than they are? I’ve always felt that the people who did that study don’t understand the spirit of what is meant by “opposites attract”… There are ways in which this cliché is probably true, but few people are probably looking for someone who is their opposite in _every_ way. How about a different love cliché: “Love will find you when you’re not looking for it/least expect it”? If this one were true, why didn’t I discover the love of my life my freshman year of college when, in addition to the normal adjusting to college issues, I was dealing with my grandfather’s cancer/subsequent death, my insane roommate, and my family’s efforts to fulfill my grandfather’s last wish by keeping his mother out of a home by living with her and caring for her as she sank deeper into Alzheimer’s? I’ve never in my life been less interested in romance than that year. It didn’t come find me, either. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-you-often-hear-that-arent-true/498462/20 "2009-06-02T17:29:53Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > Or any death. If someone dies, it’s a pretty good sign that something happened that was more than they could handle. Yeah, but they’re the exception that proves the rule. 😛 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-you-often-hear-that-arent-true/498462.md?page=2)