# You know what you can't do? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 31, 2010, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-you-cant-do/548645 "2010-07-31T01:19:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-you-cant-do/548645/1 "2010-07-31T01:19:57Z")
ANYTHING, even if you put your mind to it. Nobody can do “Anything.” Nobody can fly by flapping their arms, jump across the Atlantic Ocean, or dribble a waffle. In fact, nobody can do “anything” that other people can do. Not everybody can sink a half court shot, hit a major league home run, or solve Fermat’s theorem. Some people can kill themselves trying and never hit the high note in The Star Spangled Banner or execute a triple axel. Why do people repeat this facile obvious half-truth? And why do they act like you are clubbing baby seals if you challenge it? Nobody’s saying “give up kids, it’s all futile,” but I think kids are better served by a little verisimilitude. Shouldn’t it be sufficient to say, you know kids, you are probably capable of being really good at one thing. You should figure out what that is and learn how to do it, and then you might do SOMETHING. Something meaningful, and something nobody has done before. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-you-cant-do/548645/2 "2010-07-31T01:31:16Z")
A+. I like this OP. I don’t really have anything to add to it, but I like it just the same. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-you-cant-do/548645/3 "2010-07-31T01:39:50Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > You know what you can’t do? ANYTHING, even if you put your mind to it. You’re telling me I can’t do ANYTHING, even if I put my mind to it? Wow… that’s cold, man. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-you-cant-do/548645/4 "2010-07-31T01:47:35Z")
I CAN do NOTHING. I do it all the time. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-you-cant-do/548645/5 "2010-07-31T02:04:59Z")
> [@Indistinguishable](#): > > > [@cricetus](#): > > > > You know what you can’t do? ANYTHING, even if you put your mind to it. > > You’re telling me I can’t do ANYTHING, even if I put my mind to it? Wow… that’s cold, man. Somebody had to tell you before you audition for America’s Got Talent. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-you-cant-do/548645/6 "2010-07-31T02:06:42Z")
I’ve been inspired. Tonight, I vow to try my absolute hardest to not do something. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-you-cant-do/548645/7 "2010-07-31T02:12:10Z")
I’ve been told that you can’t roller skate in a buffalo herd. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-you-cant-do/548645/8 "2010-07-31T02:16:23Z")
You can’t get there from here. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Accident](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Mr.Accident](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Accident)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-you-cant-do/548645/9 "2010-07-31T02:21:20Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > Nobody can dribble a waffle. I’ve had some pretty crappy, rubbery waffles in my life. I’m sure if you were to shape those into a sphere, you could dribble one quite easily. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-you-cant-do/548645/10 "2010-07-31T02:24:14Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > I’ve been told that you can’t roller skate in a buffalo herd. Thanks for that earworm just before bed. Argh. ---
**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:** [July 31, 2010, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-you-cant-do/548645/11 "2010-07-31T22:05:41Z")
My evil dad taught me I could fail at anything I put my mind to. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-you-cant-do/548645/12 "2010-07-31T22:11:10Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > Why do people repeat this facile obvious half-truth? Because everybody on the planet - except, apparently, you - is competent n the usage and understanding of coloquial speech and understand what the phrase means. Do you get upset when people say “it’s raining cats and dogs” or “I’m boiling!”? Or do you berate them for repeating facile obvious untruths? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-you-cant-do/548645/13 "2010-07-31T22:14:47Z")
> [@Candyman74](#): > > > [@cricetus](#): > > > > Why do people repeat this facile obvious half-truth? > > Because everybody on the planet - except, apparently, you - is competent n the usage and understanding of coloquial speech and understand what the phrase means. > > Do you get upset when people say “it’s raining cats and dogs” or “I’m boiling!”? Or do you berate them for repeating facile obvious untruths? And everybody on the planet - except, apparently, you - has a sense of humor. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-you-cant-do/548645/14 "2010-07-31T22:34:21Z")
I didn’t take the OP as humorous either. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2010, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-you-cant-do/548645/15 "2010-08-01T01:34:31Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > And everybody on the planet - except, apparently, you - has a sense of humor. Are you saying the OP is a joke? ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f08c70/32.png) [@Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Brother_Walker)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2010, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-you-cant-do/548645/16 "2010-08-01T07:20:10Z")
You can’t take it with you. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2010, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-you-cant-do/548645/17 "2010-08-01T08:10:44Z")
I know what you can do. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2010, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-you-cant-do/548645/18 "2010-08-01T10:25:34Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > ..I think kids are better served by a little verisimilitude. Shouldn’t it be sufficient to say, you know kids, you are probably capable of being really good at one thing. You should figure out what that is and learn how to do it, and then you might do SOMETHING. Something meaningful, and something nobody has done before. That’s what the phrase "you can do anything’ actually means. Nobody interprets it as meaning you can actually do the impossible, except to be obtuse. Anyway, I think it’s better to be prepared to attempt anything and be restricted by the bounds of the possible, than it is to start from what’s known to be possible and try to nudge out the boundaries. ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2010, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-you-cant-do/548645/19 "2010-08-01T11:32:05Z")
Another way of saying that it is easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to get permission? ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2010, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-you-cant-do/548645/20 "2010-08-01T11:35:03Z")
[John Locke]Don’t tell me what I can’t do. [/JL] [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-you-cant-do/548645.md?page=2)