Contradictory proverbs - the middle path
  • TheMadFool
    13.8k
    Every culture has its own set of proverbs. Little aphorisms, maxims, adages - concise and with high signal-noise ratio. These are dispensed at opportune moments to carry important messages to the audience. They do have a strong impact and audiences are, to say the least, emotionally moved even if there's no rational connection. They are powerful rhetorical devices employed by seasoned debaters to great effect.

    That said, according to online information there are proverbs that contradict each other. Initially surprising since a contradiction is the antithesis of wisdom and the latter is the purported content of proverbs.

    My favorite proverb - antiproverb combination is:

    Two heads are better than one

    Vs

    Too many cooks spoil the broth

    So,

    1. Is there a philosophical lesson to learn from this curious state of affairs? One easy take-home message is to strike a balance between extremes - the acclaimed middle path. Are there others?

    2. Which is your favorite proverb-antiproverb?

    Thanks.
    TheMadFool Options
  • unenlightened
    9.2k
    "It takes one to know one, but opposites attract", said the pot to the kettle as they leapt together from the fire to the frying-pan. "But ignorance is bliss, knowledge is power, and to understand all is to forgive all." replied the kettle. "No one ever thinks about my blackness", the frying pan's eloquent silence conveyed.
    unenlightened Options
  • Monitor
    227
    Look before you leap.
    vs
    He who hesitates is lost
    Monitor Options
  • BC
    13.6k
    Too many cooks spoil the broth — TheMadFool

    If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

    "Everything begins in mysticism and ends in politics." is very good. But the most pungent proverb I know of was coined by Dr. Thomas Lehrer, Harvard Mathematics professor:

    "What you get out of a sewer depends on what you put into it."
    BC Options
  • BC
    13.6k
    "No one ever thinks about my blackness", the frying pan's eloquent silence conveyed. — unenlightened

    Black pans matter.
    BC Options
  • intrapersona
    579
    I think all of these proverbs (including the ones posted above) don't actually contradict each other. At least, they would only do so if you make the contexts of the two proverbs the same, but to do that would be equivocation. For instance:

    "Two heads are better than one vs Too many cooks spoil the broth" Two heads are better than one but any more would spoil the broth.

    "Look before you leap vs He who hesitates is lost" You can look before you leap and then jump thereby not hesitating.

    "Absence makes the heart grow fonder. vs Out of sight, out of mind." Things out of sight are out of mind and the longer they are out of mind the more the heart grows fond of it.

    And so on down the line for all the "supposed" contradictory proverbs...
    intrapersona Options
  • intrapersona
    579
    Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
    Don’t cross the bridge until you come to it.
    intrapersona Options
  • intrapersona
    579
    Two heads are better than one.
    Paddle your own canoe.
    intrapersona Options
  • intrapersona
    579
    Haste makes waste.
    Time waits for no man.
    intrapersona Options
  • intrapersona
    579
    You’re never too old to learn.
    You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
    intrapersona Options
  • intrapersona
    579
    A word to the wise is sufficient.
    Talk is cheap.
    intrapersona Options
  • intrapersona
    579
    It’s better to be safe than sorry.
    Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
    intrapersona Options
  • intrapersona
    579
    Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
    Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.
    intrapersona Options
  • intrapersona
    579
    Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.
    Nice guys finish last.
    intrapersona Options
  • intrapersona
    579
    Hitch your wagon to a star.
    Don’t bite off more that you can chew.
    intrapersona Options
  • intrapersona
    579
    Many hands make light work.
    Too many cooks spoil the broth.
    intrapersona Options
  • intrapersona
    579
    Don’t judge a book by its cover.
    Clothes make the man.
    intrapersona Options
  • intrapersona
    579
    The squeaking wheel gets the grease.
    Silence is golden.
    intrapersona Options
  • intrapersona
    579
    Winners never quit.
    Quit while you're ahead.
    intrapersona Options
  • intrapersona
    579
    Haste makes waste.
    Time waits for no man.
    intrapersona Options
  • intrapersona
    579
    Better to remain silent and be thouth a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.
    The squeeky wheel gets the grease.
    intrapersona Options
  • intrapersona
    579
    Actions speak louder than words.
    The pen is mightier than the sword.
    intrapersona Options
  • intrapersona
    579
    The bigger, the better.
    The best things come in small packages.
    intrapersona Options
  • intrapersona
    579
    What will be, will be.
    Life is what you make it.
    intrapersona Options
  • intrapersona
    579
    Cross your bridges when you come to them.
    Forewarned is forearmed.
    intrapersona Options
  • T Clark
    14k
    Black pans matter. — Bitter Crank

    Careful, or people will think you are bitter and a crank.
    T Clark Options
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