# 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:** 11\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![mascaroni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-completely-false-cliche-aphorism/523957/101 "2014-05-22T02:44:15Z")
From British comedian Harry Hill: "My grandma used to say 'what you can’t see can’t hurt you… She died of radiation poisoning." ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-completely-false-cliche-aphorism/523957/102 "2014-05-22T04:14:19Z")
_It is what it is._ ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Hartwick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@Dave\_Hartwick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Hartwick)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-completely-false-cliche-aphorism/523957/103 "2014-05-22T06:50:00Z")
“History is written by the victors.” Some people use it to claim that we have no idea what happened because it’s all propaganda from the winning side. Sure, there’s plenty of examples of slanted history books, but anybody who knows a little bit about history knows that they’re slanted all sorts of ways. “If voting changed anything, they’d make it illegal.” I suppose this one has a grain of truth, if by “changed anything” you mean, “changes things radically and immediately”. “You get what you pay for.” If this were true, shopping with coupons would lead to malnutrition. “Half of [everything] is worse than average.” You see this one a lot around here, especially in regards to IQ. You really don’t want to get your statistics training from George Carlin. I don’t think he was an expert on bell curves or margin of error. (I only skimmed the thread. If I copied your picks all I can say is that you’re probably good looking and intelligent.) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-completely-false-cliche-aphorism/523957/104 "2014-05-22T08:35:07Z")
“Good things come to those who wait.” No, good things are usually obtained by people who go out and get them. Or at the very least, good things come to people who are preparing for their arrival. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-completely-false-cliche-aphorism/523957/105 "2014-05-22T08:40:56Z")
> [@Dave\_Hartwick](#): > > “Half of [everything] is worse than average.” > > You see this one a lot around here, especially in regards to IQ. You really don’t want to get your statistics training from George Carlin. I don’t think he was an expert on bell curves or margin of error. It’s definitely not a mathematical truth. It’s very easy to find situations where almost everything in a group is on one side of the average. For example, take a room full of a hundred people, one of whom is Bill Gates. You’ll find that 99% of the people have less than the average wealth in that room. Or there’s the old joke about how most people have more than the average number of legs. ---
**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:** [May 22, 2014, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-completely-false-cliche-aphorism/523957/106 "2014-05-22T08:50:13Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > “It’s always darkest before the dawn” > > Nope, it’s getting light just before dawn. It is, however, _coldest_. ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-completely-false-cliche-aphorism/523957/107 "2014-05-22T11:58:51Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > “It’s always darkest before the dawn” > > Nope, it’s getting light just before dawn. Dawn is the moment it isn’t completely dark anymore, so it is not already getting light before dawn. If it’s getting light it _ **is** _ dawn. Well, astronomical dawn anyway. 'Course, it’s still not true that it’s always darkest right before the dawn. ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-completely-false-cliche-aphorism/523957/108 "2014-05-22T13:02:16Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > _It is what it is._ If it’s not, then what is it? ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-completely-false-cliche-aphorism/523957/109 "2014-05-22T13:33:47Z")
> [@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. …and some lemons. The expression tends to be used as a smug admonishment implying that you can always make something good from whatever sour thing life gives you. But the aphorism only actually works because of a prevarication on the nature of lemons. Sure they are sour but they are also a tasty and highly saleable commodity. It’s not too hard to make something of your life if life _gives_ you something valuable, is it? ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-completely-false-cliche-aphorism/523957/110 "2014-05-22T16:49:42Z")
> [@lost4life](#): > > If it’s not, then what is it? Something completely different. ---
**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:** [May 22, 2014, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-completely-false-cliche-aphorism/523957/111 "2014-05-22T21:16:45Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > _It is what it is._ > [@lost4life](#): > > If it’s not, then what is it? Grandpa Simpson: “I used to be ‘with it’! But then they changed what ‘it’ was. Now what I’m with isn’t ‘it’, and what’s ‘it’ seems weird and scary to me, and it’ll happen to you too!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-completely-false-cliche-aphorism/523957.md?page=5)