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What phrases of wisdom have really stuck with you?
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this post was submitted on 12 Oct 2026
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Many (maybe even most?) adages have an opposite.
"Reach for the stars", but "sky's the limit".
"Knowledge is power," but "ignorance is bliss."
"Absence makes the heart grow fonder," but "out of sight, out of mind."
"Better safe than sorry," but "nothing ventured, nothing gained."
"The pen is mightier than the sword," but "actions speak louder than words."
"Great minds think alike," but "fools seldom differ."
"Too many cooks spoil the broth," but "many hands make light work."
Most of those don't mean opposite things, though. They aren't describing incompatible concepts. Even, "great minds think alike" and, "fools seldom differ" are more comments about different contexts than opposite meaning.
Right, and that's kinda my point. I said that there are opposites, not that they don't have any value at all. Context is key.
They are literally, technically, definitionally not opposites if they carry unrelated meanings.
I don't think they all do, but we clearly disagree.
Yes, not all of them are wholly unrelated, as already said. That doesn't make them all valid opposites.
Not really.
Take the first one. Someone can work hard to improve themselves, but have a realistic idea of how far they can go. Maybe I'll take a chance and open a hot dog stand of my own; I shouldn't expect to outdo Burger King or KFC.
You can take risks safely. A scuba diver can explore a cave with a trained buddy and proper equipment, or just swim in alone.
All the people who fought in the Tojan War are long dead, but Homer's words still live on.
Sky is the limit means nothing is impossible, so they say pretty much the same thing about aiming high.
That one was a bit tongue in cheek, yeah.
Yeah, it's funny like when people say "Jumbo shrimp is an oxymoron." Like, ha ha, yeah, shrimp can also mean small person, but the animals called shrimp come in different sizes, so we need size words if we want to classify them. So it's not in fact a contradiction, but it's a really funny joke. Same thing here.