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30 Wise Old Sayings That Have Totally Lost Their Meaning In The Contemporary World, As Shared By Folks In This Online Group
Over the millennia of its existence, humanity has accumulated a huge amount of so-called "folk wisdom" - sayings, proverbs and various allegedly wise quotes. These are words that are intended - often in rhymed form - to reflect some kind of rule of conduct, or simply to calm an upset person.
They are passed down from generation to generation, remain in our subconscious, and we continue to pronounce them without even thinking - but how much do they even make sense? Well, some are simply outdated, not keeping up with the rapid development of mankind in recent decades, some are even harmful, because public morality has changed significantly, and some are just one big lie.
Do you want an example? Voila! You may have heard Thomas Edison's famous saying, "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration." Beautiful and impressive, isn't it? On the other hand, this statement is true, perhaps, only to one person - Edison himself.
The fact is that the great inventor did not receive a fundamental education, but rather he had simply phenomenal perseverance and working capacity. As a result, where it was enough to simply make some scientific calculation, Edison compensated for everything with a banal enumeration of options manually. It worked for him, but it's far from a fact that it works for others.
Well, there is a very popular thread in the AskReddit community where the topic starter wonders "Which old saying is actually nonsense?" During the few months of its existence, the thread has been upvoted more than 35.4K times, and today it consists of nearly 16.6K comments, many of which hide a complete deconstruction of some element of that notorious "folk wisdom".
Bored Panda has made a list for you with the most popular comments of the original thread. Some of them we have heard hundreds of times in our lives, some you will first meet in this post - in any case, feel free now to scroll to the very end and if you do not find something that seems like complete nonsense to you, please write it in the comments.
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"Money can't buy happiness."
Poverty can't buy anything.
Money will buy me the comfort to do the things that make me happy...so yes, it does buy happiness.
It can buy quite a bit of happiness, but it won't fill the empty space inside you
I literally just accepted a job offer because I need the money to keep my roof over my head and such... so yeah it does :D
Studies have been done, and to an extent it does, as in having enough money for needs, for security in meeting future needs, and for some small luxuries (annual vacation, fund a hobby or 2, afford to entertain friends, that sort of thing) it absolutely does. After the needs, security and small luxuries threshold has been met, additional money no longer adds to happiness levels, you gotta pursue happiness in other ways.
I once won a total of $550 from two different instant lotto tickets. Yes, money bought me happiness.
Money may not be able to buy happiness, but it can alleviate a lot of unhappiness.
Wisdom from my father, miss you. He said, "You can have anything you want, But you can't have everything you want. " Money can't buy happiness, but it's better to be in miserable in comfort. - mom
It may not buy happiness but I would definitely take being sad from a much nicer couch!
Money doesn't buy love/happiness but money can be the means to find it. Money is also the number one cause of stress to people who do not have it because it's more expensive to be poor than to be rich. If your child is sick, if you can't afford rent, if you're scared you won't be able to pay bills, staying in a bad job because you can't afford to take the time to find what you love, if you're staying in a bad relationship because you can't afford to live on your own....these are all problems that can be solved immediately with money. And for most people, their problems fall into these categories. Rich people have problems too but if you look at those problems, they are often self-made and can be resolved by making better decisions. You don't have to have a mansion or Porsche. You don't have to have more, more, more. Retire early, live frugally and enjoy the hard work/luck that got you rich enough to do so.
I hate money ! If only I could stay in bed with my gf all day, that would be nice !
I just agreed to another 3 weeks of overtime on the boat I work on. I didn't do that for my health. I did that for the big paycheck.
"Money can't buy happiness." has never been proven scientifically. I would be happy to volunteer as a test subject.
I don't need to buy happiness, a long term lease would be sufficient.
I've seen both sides.... well... the light versions. Rich enough to be have their own house, several cars and no need to worry about money while not be a millionaire and people who live with 5 people in a 2-room-1-kitchen-one-bath flat. I can see where the saying is coming from, because the relatively poor family was definitely happier and the kids grew up happy to be happy adults. Poorer people know the value of money and know how to make the most with it. Richer kids more often then not grow up spoiled.
Try working a well-paid job for a seriously-toxic company. A place where your boss is a gold-plated a-hole who ascribes to the idea of management by fear, where no-one gives 2 pins for the work you do, where new ideas are routinely dismissed, "we've always done it this way", and where leadership says one thing and then promptly does the exact opposite. "Oh, but at least you're paid well". No. I'm paid well but my mental health and overall happiness is shot.
Money can't buy happiness. What it does buy are necessities and small everyday pleasures capitalism denies or severely rations to majority of people.
"It's always in the last place you look"
Well of course it is. Why would you continue looking once you've found it
Good things happen to good people. Crock of s**t that is.
"looks don't matter"
I've noticed that this is usually said by people who are attractive themselves. That's like someone born rich saying that money doesn't matter.
I was an fat ugly kid and I'm now a fat, ugly adult. Trust me, looks matter. It has been made very clear to me over the years how much it matters. I've even been told on job interviews that I wasn't attractive enough for the job.
"Age brings wisdom"
We have an congress, senate, and a bunch of aging baby boomers that prove that wrong.
“Money is the root of all evil” is probably one of the most misquoted sayings out there. The actual quote is “for the love of money is the root of all evil” that changes the meaning behind the quote completely imo
“Winners never cheat and cheaters never win.”
Yeah, b******t. Cheaters almost always win.
Look at a social devient, corrupt criminal like Trump. He even cheats himself.
Go big or go home. You have no idea how bad I just want to go home.
"Lions are king of the jungle" They don't live in the damn jungle.
No way am I going to tell a lion he can't live in a jungle if he wants to.
"Everything happens for a reason."
No. It. F*****g. Doesn't.
Well there's a reason but it's not some grand existential reason or anything. The saying is true in the literal sense only.
If at first you don't succeed try, try and try again.
Don't follow that advice when dating. You will be branded as a stalker/creep.
Do something you love, and you'll never work a day in your life. B******t, now what used to bring my joy is misrable and I dont have a backup career.
I love what I do for a living, I just don't love the long hours and stress.
"Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."
I did that for years, and I'm morbidly obese, lower middle class, and stupid as hell.
"An Apple a day keeps the doctor away." No matter how many I shoved up my butt I still had to get a colonoscopy
The customer is always right
The phrase means that customers buying habits determines the market. They are always right, because they dictate what is popular
Blood is thicker then water.. Always hated it , s***ty family members.
What doesn't kill you make you stronger
Lies...when my son died it almost killed me. I wanted to die. I'm not nearly as strong as I was prior.
“Pull yourself up by your bootstraps”
- it’s meant as an ironic/satirical phrase, because it refers to an act which is literally impossible
Whenever I hear a libertarian say things like "there's no such thing as a victim of circumstance" I want to punch them. Say that to the millions of homeless children in the world. Yes, because you were born with wealth and privilege, therefore we all were.
"A jack of all trades is a master of none". Only because no one ever user uses the full quote, so it's useless in this form.
“This too shall pass”
Uhh not if it’s herpes? Unless you mean pass it on
This is actually a saying that DOES have some merit: Anything you experience will end. Pain, joy, suffering, family and yourself will end. This is to remind us to cherish the wanted experiences and that anything undesirable will untimately pass from the present to the past. Even LIFE will pass if life is undesirable.
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me
Good things come to those who wait….
Slow and steady wins the race… yet I always lose the kahoot
My grandmother used to say, "That man is as worthless as a one legged man at an a*s kickin'."
Well, I worked at a mental facility. One day I saw a one legged man absolutely destroy another dude. Popped him in the head with his crutch, then pitched forward and just stomped on him with his one leg.
The saying is "Busier than a one-legged man in an a*s-kicking contest." The meaning was that you were at a disadvantage in some way, usually by not having the proper tools, training, or team and still trying to reach the goal.
Boys pick on you because they love you.
This hurts me more then you (when a parent is spanking a child)
Don't play the victim.
All bad for many reasons.
this hurts me more than u? well then for you what's it like, the damn Cruciatus Curse? sorry, im a potterhead.
Feed a cold, starve a fever.
Just eat nutritious, easy to digest foods when you're sick (and stay hydrated)..
edit: Holy cow this comment blew up! Thanks for the awards!
As for the people who are telling me my version is incorrect, I can tell you that its the one I heard growing up, and the internet seems to confirm that it is indeed a saying (though starve a cold, feed a fever also seems to be a thing)
According to my grandmother's aunt and family healer, "feed a cold, starve a fever" was a neighborly thing. When you heard someone is sick with a cold, just had a baby, had a bad back, etc., you would take food to your neighbor to help ease the burden, but if they had a fever (think small pox, the plague, contagious disease of some sort), you stayed away from their home - hence "starved the fever." She was 105 when she passed away in 2017.
Note: this post originally had 47 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
Don't judge a book by it's cover. C**p. I'm gonna judge the heck out of that cover!
That is the only purpose of the book cover is so that judgement can be made.
Load More Replies...Maybe they mean pecking at it and taking small bites?
Load More Replies...My mother-in-law, that I loved very much, used to say, " you catch more flies with honey than with viniger". Well, who the F**? wants flies?
I've always thought about this one to mean, if you are nice to people, they will be more willing to help you out or go above and beyond for you. If you are nasty to them, you are going to get the least from them they "have" to give. Which is true for myself. Sweet? I will get you taken care of the best, fastest, and most generous way I can. A*****e? Your appointment will be 2 weeks out etc.
Load More Replies...“birds of a feather flock together” was originally “birds of a feather flock together before the cat comes.” it was actually a warning about fair-weather friends, not about people with similar personalities.
"There's someone out there for everyone." One said by my dad was, "Suffering's good for the soul."
I'm sorry you have to go through that Kate. 😔 The human race is losing.
Don't judge a book by it's cover. C**p. I'm gonna judge the heck out of that cover!
That is the only purpose of the book cover is so that judgement can be made.
Load More Replies...Maybe they mean pecking at it and taking small bites?
Load More Replies...My mother-in-law, that I loved very much, used to say, " you catch more flies with honey than with viniger". Well, who the F**? wants flies?
I've always thought about this one to mean, if you are nice to people, they will be more willing to help you out or go above and beyond for you. If you are nasty to them, you are going to get the least from them they "have" to give. Which is true for myself. Sweet? I will get you taken care of the best, fastest, and most generous way I can. A*****e? Your appointment will be 2 weeks out etc.
Load More Replies...“birds of a feather flock together” was originally “birds of a feather flock together before the cat comes.” it was actually a warning about fair-weather friends, not about people with similar personalities.
"There's someone out there for everyone." One said by my dad was, "Suffering's good for the soul."
I'm sorry you have to go through that Kate. 😔 The human race is losing.