# conflicting proverbial truths **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 6, 2001, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conflicting-proverbial-truths/67827 "2001-06-06T19:08:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![yzzazz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8dc957/32.png) [@yzzazz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yzzazz)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2001, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conflicting-proverbial-truths/67827/1 "2001-06-06T19:08:36Z")
Does anyone know of a webpage devoted to those conflicting proverbial truths, i.e.: “Good things come to those who wait,” yet “He who hesitates is lost?” I’m sure someone’s got a listed posted somewhere… perhaps you could post some of your faves here as well. ---
**Author:** ![TexasSpur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a6a055/32.png) [@TexasSpur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TexasSpur)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2001, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conflicting-proverbial-truths/67827/2 "2001-06-06T19:18:32Z")
The darker the berry the sweeter the juice. ---
**Author:** ![yzzazz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8dc957/32.png) [@yzzazz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yzzazz)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2001, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conflicting-proverbial-truths/67827/3 "2001-06-06T20:02:51Z")
Hmmm… interesting response there. What I’m looking for, however, are sets of age-old words of wisdom that seem to be direct opposites. Another example: “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” yet “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” Or even, and this may be stretching it,: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” contrasting “An eye for an eye…” (And is that whole “darker = sweeter” thing true or just a baseless racial epithet? ---
**Author:** ![TexasSpur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a6a055/32.png) [@TexasSpur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TexasSpur)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2001, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conflicting-proverbial-truths/67827/4 "2001-06-06T20:10:57Z")
I know what you were going for. I posted that under the “post some of your faves here as well” part. I am sure it is baseless. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2001, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conflicting-proverbial-truths/67827/5 "2001-06-06T20:40:46Z")
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” vs. “Out of sight, out of mind.” ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2001, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conflicting-proverbial-truths/67827/6 "2001-06-06T22:38:47Z")
I don’t know about websites, but here’s a few (some repeats of the ones in this thread) : [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=8395](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=8395) My personal favorite is the ambiguous “A rolling stone gathers no moss.” Using the multiple interpretations that people apply to it, it can conflict with itself. (Personally, I’d rather not be greasy or covered in moss, though I would eat worms (I’ve already done it)) ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2001, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conflicting-proverbial-truths/67827/7 "2001-06-07T00:23:14Z")
[Dueling Proverbs](http://www.srv.net/~roxtar/proverbs.html)