# Proverbs that should be changed to make them more literal

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proverbs-that-should-be-changed-to-make-them-more-literal/358635>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [May 29, 2006, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proverbs-that-should-be-changed-to-make-them-more-literal/358635 "2006-05-29T17:22:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\
**Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proverbs-that-should-be-changed-to-make-them-more-literal/358635/61 "2006-06-06T19:53:57Z")

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[QUOTE=dwc1970]  
When you multiply two negative numbers together the result is positive, which means two wrongs _do_ make a right.[/list]  
[/QUOTE]  
Technically, “two wrongs” is additive in nature. Negating a wrong is multiplicative. Thus, two wrongs don’t make a right, but negating a wrong apparently does.

And I heard it as two Wongs don’t make a Wright, but two Wrights make an airplane.

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**Author:** ![cornchip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@cornchip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornchip)\
**Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proverbs-that-should-be-changed-to-make-them-more-literal/358635/62 "2006-06-07T04:55:07Z")

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Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime, unless he lives in a desert, in which case it would be far better to just give him the fish.

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**Author:** ![Anaglyph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Anaglyph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaglyph)\
**Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proverbs-that-should-be-changed-to-make-them-more-literal/358635/63 "2009-08-31T11:04:35Z")

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> [@Biotop](#):
>
> Fight fire with water.

except in the deep fryer or in a chemistry lab

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**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\
**Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proverbs-that-should-be-changed-to-make-them-more-literal/358635/64 "2009-08-31T13:00:58Z")

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The only good zombie thread is a zombie thread that’s been shot through the head.

twickster, moderator

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