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Contradictory proverbs - the middle path

TheMadFool March 01, 2017 at 13:02 9700 views 25 comments
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.

Comments (25)

unenlightened March 01, 2017 at 13:59 #58536
"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.
Monitor March 01, 2017 at 18:44 #58551
Look before you leap.
vs
He who hesitates is lost
BC March 02, 2017 at 05:02 #58635
Quoting TheMadFool
Too many cooks spoil the broth


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 March 02, 2017 at 05:02 #58636
Quoting unenlightened
"No one ever thinks about my blackness", the frying pan's eloquent silence conveyed.


Black pans matter.
intrapersona June 24, 2017 at 13:01 #80499
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 June 24, 2017 at 13:01 #80500
Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
Don’t cross the bridge until you come to it.
intrapersona June 24, 2017 at 13:02 #80501
Two heads are better than one.
Paddle your own canoe.
intrapersona June 24, 2017 at 13:02 #80502
Haste makes waste.
Time waits for no man.
intrapersona June 24, 2017 at 13:02 #80503
You’re never too old to learn.
You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
intrapersona June 24, 2017 at 13:09 #80507
A word to the wise is sufficient.
Talk is cheap.
intrapersona June 24, 2017 at 13:09 #80508
It’s better to be safe than sorry.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
intrapersona June 24, 2017 at 13:10 #80509
Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.
intrapersona June 24, 2017 at 13:10 #80510
Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.
Nice guys finish last.
intrapersona June 24, 2017 at 13:10 #80511
Hitch your wagon to a star.
Don’t bite off more that you can chew.
intrapersona June 24, 2017 at 13:15 #80516
Many hands make light work.
Too many cooks spoil the broth.
intrapersona June 24, 2017 at 13:15 #80517
Don’t judge a book by its cover.
Clothes make the man.
intrapersona June 24, 2017 at 13:15 #80518
The squeaking wheel gets the grease.
Silence is golden.
intrapersona June 24, 2017 at 13:15 #80519
Winners never quit.
Quit while you're ahead.
intrapersona June 24, 2017 at 13:22 #80520
Haste makes waste.
Time waits for no man.
intrapersona June 24, 2017 at 13:22 #80521
Better to remain silent and be thouth a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.
The squeeky wheel gets the grease.
intrapersona June 24, 2017 at 13:22 #80522
Actions speak louder than words.
The pen is mightier than the sword.
intrapersona June 24, 2017 at 13:22 #80523
The bigger, the better.
The best things come in small packages.
intrapersona June 24, 2017 at 13:23 #80524
What will be, will be.
Life is what you make it.
intrapersona June 24, 2017 at 13:44 #80531
Cross your bridges when you come to them.
Forewarned is forearmed.
T Clark June 24, 2017 at 13:49 #80532
Quoting Bitter Crank
Black pans matter.


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