# Most completely false cliche/aphorism **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 6, 2010, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-completely-false-cliche-aphorism/523957 "2010-01-06T21:00:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-completely-false-cliche-aphorism/523957/61 "2010-01-07T15:33:12Z")
> [@Lanzy](#): > > Pretty sure this is true. > > I know it is meant to say, buck up dude, something good may come from this, or God has a plan. > > But, everything does happen for a reason, the reason may be totally bad and out of your control, but something has put the final result in motion. That doesn’t mean there has to be a reason behind it, unless you are equating “reason” with “cause.” The phrase means that there is a purpose to everything, not that there is a cause for everything. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-completely-false-cliche-aphorism/523957/62 "2010-01-07T16:13:55Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > That doesn’t mean there has to be a reason behind it, unless you are equating “reason” with “cause.” The phrase means that there is a purpose to everything, not that there is a cause for everything. Right, people don’t mean “Everything has an efficient cause” when they say, “Everything happens for a reason.” They mean “Everything has a final cause.” I.e., this is all part of a (presumably) benevolent plan on the part of (one hopes) God. Not as catchy, but less likely to be misunderstood. This seems to be a problem with a lot of proverbs – their metaphors died, the language moved out from under them, but they still get repeated as something more like magic incantations than the summation of a parable or broader body of wisdom shared by speakers. ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-completely-false-cliche-aphorism/523957/63 "2010-01-07T16:16:17Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” > > Assuming that life also gives you potable water, a large amount of sugar, a knife, a lemon press, and preferably some sort of pitcher and stirring implement. “If life deals you lemons, why not go kill someone with the lemons (maybe by shoving them down his throat).” Jack Handey ---
**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:** [January 7, 2010, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-completely-false-cliche-aphorism/523957/64 "2010-01-07T18:32:13Z")
> [@Noel\_Prosequi](#): > > As to the OP, for me the problem is that aphorisms hunt in pairs. For every “look before you leap”, there’s a “he who hesitates is lost”. For every “many hands make light work” there is a “too many cooks spoil the broth”. If only the Aphorism Police would at least make sure the whole enterprise is internally consistent. “he who desires peace, let him prepare for war” - George Washington “One cannot simultaneously prepare for and prevent war” -Albert Einstein ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-completely-false-cliche-aphorism/523957/65 "2010-01-07T18:35:41Z")
“I’m speechless.” ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-completely-false-cliche-aphorism/523957/66 "2010-01-07T18:54:53Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > “he who desires peace, let him prepare for war” - George Washington [It goes back way before Washington.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Si_vis_pacem,_para_bellum) > [@Lumpy](#): > > “One cannot simultaneously prepare for and prevent war” -Albert Einstein He seemed to have forgotten his own maxim, “Imagination is more important than knowledge” and the Farnsworth corrolary, “Nothing’s a complete load! Not if you can imagine it!” ---
**Author:** ![YoudNeverGuess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a587f6/32.png) [@YoudNeverGuess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YoudNeverGuess)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-completely-false-cliche-aphorism/523957/67 "2010-01-07T19:33:17Z")
_You make your own luck._ Uhh, no. Luck is by definition outside of one’s control. Stop trying to take credit for your own good fortune/ stop trying to make out that people’s bad luck is all their own fault. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-completely-false-cliche-aphorism/523957/68 "2010-01-07T20:46:29Z")
> [@Johnny\_Angel](#): > > Or ones that people use to congratulate themselves before they’ve accomplished anything: > > _A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step._ I disagree with your characterization of this one. The commonly-accepted "point’ of this saying is something like “do not be daunted by the apparent difficulty of a task”, which is a perfectly good message. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-completely-false-cliche-aphorism/523957/69 "2010-01-07T20:49:31Z")
> [@Noel\_Prosequi](#): > > As to the OP, for me the problem is that aphorisms hunt in pairs. For every “look before you leap”, there’s a “he who hesitates is lost”. For every “many hands make light work” there is a “too many cooks spoil the broth”. If only the Aphorism Police would at least make sure the whole enterprise is internally consistent. In many cases, the same bit of advice can appear either wise or totally foolish depending on the circumstances. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-completely-false-cliche-aphorism/523957/70 "2010-01-07T20:53:18Z")
> [@Johnny\_Angel](#): > > Or ones that people use to congratulate themselves before they’ve accomplished anything: > > _A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step._ I’ve never heard that aphorism used for self-congratulation. I’ve mostly heard it used to hector people who won’t start something because it’s too hard to finish. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-completely-false-cliche-aphorism/523957/71 "2010-01-07T21:13:55Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > I disagree with your characterization of this one. The commonly-accepted "point’ of this saying is something like “do not be daunted by the apparent difficulty of a task”, which is a perfectly good message. That first step is pretty trivial unless the journey in question is a thousand miles straight down. > [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#): > > I’ve never heard that aphorism used for self-congratulation. I’ve mostly heard it used to hector people who won’t start something because it’s too hard to finish. That’s probably also the case, but it still seems less common to me than people who did start something because some cliche they heard encouraged them to overlook how much work it was actually going to be. ---
**Author:** ![Daithi\_Lacha](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daithi_lacha/32/5430_2.png) [@Daithi\_Lacha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daithi_Lacha)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-completely-false-cliche-aphorism/523957/72 "2010-01-07T21:13:57Z")
“You can’t cheat an honest man.” I like the way this sounds, but I have been trying for years to have it make any sort of sense. I understand that an honest man wouldn’t necessarily go for a get-rich-quick scheme or something like that, but in everything else - from buying a used car, to getting fleeced in a “friendly” card game - he’s fair game. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-completely-false-cliche-aphorism/523957/73 "2010-01-07T21:22:26Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > I humbly offer “There’s someone for everyone”. For an unfortunate few there just isn’t a “someone”, and for many more I believe it’s a case of making the best of whatever you can get, possibly taking comfort from the apprehension that the other person is doing exactly the same. I think you just punched a bunch of geeks in the rhetorical gut. What a depressing view. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-completely-false-cliche-aphorism/523957/74 "2010-01-07T21:25:32Z")
> [@Johnny\_Angel](#): > > That first step is pretty trivial unless the journey in question is a thousand miles straight down. The idea - mentally breaking a massively daunting task (such as a thousand mile journey) into bits that are easy to do (steps). Then, starting. As with all aphorisms, it can be dumb advice depending on the circumstances, but the point is to get over the psychological hurde of starting something difficult (but presumably necessary). ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-completely-false-cliche-aphorism/523957/75 "2010-01-07T21:28:55Z")
> [@Daithi\_Lacha](#): > > “You can’t cheat an honest man.” > > I like the way this sounds, but I have been trying for years to have it make any sort of sense. I understand that an honest man wouldn’t necessarily go for a get-rich-quick scheme or something like that, but in everything else - from buying a used car, to getting fleeced in a “friendly” card game - he’s fair game. This one is like you say only partly true. It plays on the fact that a huge number of con games basically require the target to be enticed into some sort of criminality ("Dear sir, I’m a scamming Nigerian banker who seeks to hide a million dollars in your country … "). Of course, there are an equally huge number of cons that work perfectly well on honest folks. ---
**Author:** ![breezman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@breezman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/breezman)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-completely-false-cliche-aphorism/523957/76 "2010-01-07T21:31:35Z")
I hate it when people make some comment and then say “I’m just saying.” I’ve never heard that used when the person wasn’t also implying something pretty heavily. And I’ve harped on this one before, but the saying “you can’t prove a negative” always grates on me. ---
**Author:** ![melodyharmonius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/melodyharmonius/32/21310_2.png) [@melodyharmonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melodyharmonius)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-completely-false-cliche-aphorism/523957/77 "2010-01-07T21:39:35Z")
i will always be there for you. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-completely-false-cliche-aphorism/523957/78 "2010-01-07T21:42:39Z")
‘Be careful what you wish for… because you might just get it.’ Yeah, I’m sure my life would be ruined if I got a nice house with a garden. Far better than I not wish for anything at all. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-completely-false-cliche-aphorism/523957/79 "2010-01-07T21:51:09Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > As with all aphorisms, it can be dumb advice depending on the circumstances Yes, that is the actual problem, whatever I might think of the expression itself. Yet, the emphasis on the single step does lend itself to the very abuse I complained about. Moreso, say, than the expression “Water drops hollow stone, not by strength but by persistence.” But of course, I’m sure someone has already abused the hell out of that one. And on from night to morning the world runs ruinward. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-completely-false-cliche-aphorism/523957/80 "2010-01-07T22:03:50Z")
> [@scifisam2009](#): > > ‘Be careful what you wish for… because you might just get it.’ > > Yeah, I’m sure my life would be ruined if I got a nice house with a garden. Far better than I not wish for anything at all. [You never know](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=520912&). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-completely-false-cliche-aphorism/523957.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-completely-false-cliche-aphorism/523957.md?page=5)