Does eating an apple a day really keep the doctor away? What about lightning striking in the same place more than twice if it is made out of certain material? These questions arise when someone throws you one of the good old sayings to make a certain point or just to show some general domestic wisdom. But do they actually make sense?
Reddit users on their popular group r/AskReddit with over 32.7m members decided to actually debunk all of the sayings that we have been hearing so often. One of the community members, u/OptionsTrader14, dropped the question ‘What popular sayings are actually bulls***?’ Bored Panda selected the best answers so you can vote for your favorites.
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"What does not kill you makes you stronger."
Statistically that which almost kills you leaves you weaker, with PTSD, and medical bills.
On a brighter note, whatever kills you,makes you dead.
'Money can't buy happiness'.
The saying itself is true enough - it's about greed and it is meant to mean that however much wealth you have you can't buy your way to happiness. Being a millionaire, or a billionaire won't necessarily make you happy.
However, people badly misuse it almost as a refrain for those who are destitute - as if they don't deserve any more and it won't make them happy. It's that which is utter bulls***.
Because, being able to afford healthcare, to feed your family, a roof over your head and to not everyday have a gnawing, desperate anxiety and unending stress about whether you can afford to live each week will make someone a f***-ton happier than the alternative. And that's nothing to do with greed.
Sticks and stones can break my bones but words will never hurt me.
Wounds heal, but words can crush a spirit. They hurt far worse.
in Bulgaria there is the oppsite saying - A bad wound heals, a bad word is never forgotten
I can attest to this. After being told every day (at school) I was ugly, a loser, fat etc (there were physical things done to me as well, that wasn't until age 12)...starting at age 7 until I graduated high school at 18, I heard something along those lines. My husband, and our friends can tell me otherwise all they want, I can only see what I was conditioned to see.
Same. Growing up I was never called handsome by anyone but my mother. Never had a girl tell me I was cute until I was about 20. So no matter how much my wife tells me I'm cute or sexy sometimes, I never believe it. It's just not me.
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My struggles with panic attacks are proof words are far more dangerous.
My brain still plays hateful messages from 5, 10, 30, 45 years ago. I will never be fully healthy and confident because yes, those words hurt me beyond repair, and yes, that is the fault of the people who said them.
This really his home because when I was ayoung my father repeatedly told me that I was worthless - among other physical and emotional abuse. It injured me more than anything in my life.
I’m so sorry...that’s just fluffed* up. [*My favorite substitute for the F-word.]
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I always heard it and said it as Sticks and stones can break my bones but YOUR words will never hurt me. Each of us, through a large portion of our lives, give power to or keep power away from those we interact with based on nothing more than if we let their words harm us or uplift us.
This is partly true. In order for someone to hurt me with words, I'd have to care what they think - and I'll be honest, unless they're a close friend or immediate family, I probably don't.
When you're young, and discovering the world and people around you, while needing acceptance from outside, because we're a social species, no matter how introverted you are.... that's when you secretly care about everyone. Therefore, everyone's opinion matters. Until you learn who are the people whose words shouldn't. But the damage done can leave deep scars. And by deep scars, I'm talking about lack of some survival skills considered normal usually. Like serious lack of social skills, getting into criminally abusive relationships and passing it on to your children, or become an abuser yourself. Getting into a life of crime as well, when things go far.
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The pen is mightier than the sword, but words won't hurt you....sticks and stones will hurt more than words.....so these two phrases say that sticks hurt more than swords....huh?!
Swords give a nice, clean wound, but sticks may leave pieces and become infected... yeah I'm just pulling that out of my a**. On the other hand, they may be going in the right direction because papercuts hurt like nobody's business.
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I dunno, I'm pretty sure I would rather be called terrible names than have both my legs crushed by rocks.
It's meant to be a type of mantra. Sticks and stones will hurt me, I can't prevent that, but I can deny the harsh words and not allow them to affect me. I am not fat, I am not ugly, your words are wrong!! By saying that words hurt more you're enabling the bullies, you're effectively admitting that what they say is the truth!
The scars from the sticks faded way more quickly than the ones from the words.
Well, in my defense, he was being a huge asshole and actually asked for my opinion of him at the time. (True story)
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I've always hated this saying as someone who was a victim of verbal abuse.
I like to change it to: Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words put me in therapy
We have no memory for physical pain. But emotional pain can last forever.
"Sticks and stones will break my bones and words will always hurt me" - my new slogan
the definition of Hurt is to cause physical pain. so no, words will not hurt you. they may hurt your fragile sensibilities but that's individual and not the true definition of hurt, since we are playing word games.
This one really hits a nerve with me, it shouldn't be used - as with many others in this thread!
“It takes two to fight.” Not if someone is intent on bullying/harassing someone else. The policy where both people are punished is grossly unfair.
Sleep like a baby. A more accurate description for it would be pissed the bed twice and woke up screaming
"You can't teach an old dog new tricks."
As long as you are alive, you are capable of learning.
"If you can't handle me at my worst then you don't deserve me at my best"
Basically emotionally manipulating people to live with your s*** because you may give them something better someday. Highly recommend considering breaking off these kind of people from your life.
This is true in some ways - if someone leaves you because you're depressed, or poor ,or struggle with anything else that isn't your fault; just to come back when they can get something from you, they suck. If you struggle in a way that affects them, like anger issues that mean you're abusive, they are completely right to leave you, wait until you got therapy and gotten well enough to be around, and then come back if they want to.
"Don't judge a book by its cover"
That cover has one damn job and it's to convey to me what is in the book so I don't have to read all 600 pages to know if it was my cook book or Harry Potter.
A good modification of this would be: Don't judge a book only by it's cover.
'If you are born poor, then it is not your fault. But if you die poor, then it is your fault!!' Please tell that to a hardworking person with 3 jobs and still very POOR!!
Everything happens for a reason.
one of my...... what? what word is the polar opposite of favorite?
“Love is never having to say you’re sorry.” I think from the movie, Love Story. Stupid and ridiculous.
Time heals all wounds. No. Not all. At least not in 1 lifetime.
For some wounds, they never heal, just only dulled.
I forget what band it was, but some of my fav song lyrics: "time heals the wound, but then there's still a scar"
Happy wife happy life. Both people need to be happy in a relationship. Happy spouse happy house.
'The lightning never strikes twice in the same spot'
Yes, it does. Especially if that spot is a high metal structure, it will be struck twice, even more than just two times.
"Rome wasn't built in a day." People often forget the whole quote, or just don't know it as I never hear it: "Rome wasn't built in a day, but they were laying bricks every hour"
“Cheaters never win”.
They often do. Doesn’t mean cheating should be encouraged though.
The way I've always heard it is "cheaters never prosper." Still bullshit, but not quite the same. ;-)
"Follow your hEaRt 💕"
..... uh yeah, my heart's kinda suuuuper dumb sometimes
Not bulls*** but wrong. People always seem to say "I could care less" but its supposed to be "I couldn't care less"
"Curiosity killed the cat" its not even the full saying, it ends with "satisfaction brought him back" but people still go with the first line only
"Flattery will get you nowhere!"
The opposite is more true in my experience.
I think this one is more about being manipulated then being kind. If my husband does the dishes without being prompted, he wants something I would normally say no to. If my oldest sister calls me and starts talking about how cool my knitting is, she usually wants me to make her something. The flattery is nice but it shouldn't be used to manipulate me into doing something.
"Pull yourself up by your bootstraps" it's literally impossible and that's the point lol
I think this is one of those that started out as actually meaning "it's imposssible" but somehow got inverted. Much like terrific was once something truly terrible and not the "it's great!" We now know it as.
The past year it has been "We're in this together."
It’s more like, “We’re all in the same storm.” Some have yachts, some have canoes, and some are struggling just to tread water.
“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” This quote was originally a promotional slogan.
Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life.
Well, I do what I love and I'm an unemployed alcoholic. Somehow, I don't think whoever said that first had this in mind...
“Everything will be okay” bruh no, just no. It’s not gonna be okay, nor does everything always turn out okay in the end.
Basically, as has been pointed out, many of the common sayings we use only use part of the actual idiom. My personal cringe inducing one is "Great minds think alike, though fools seldom differ."
The second half means the exact opposite of just saying "Great minds think alike.."
This seems to be the case with a lot of our usage.
Actually the full saying says, essentially, great minds and fools do the same thing
There's someone for everyone.
yeah but why would i want anything to do with someone who has such poor judgement to want anything to do with me?
"An apple a day keeps the doctor away!"
F***, the older I get, the more I wish it were that simple.
Crime doesn't pay.
this is true if only the companion phrase is true - "it's only illegal if you get caught"
I before E except after C
"and when sounding like "A" as in neighbor and weigh, and on weekends and holidays and all throughout May, and YOU'LL ALWAYS BE WRONG NO MATTER WHAT YOU SAY!!!!”
Live laugh love
My husband says that the people who use this quote are the first ones to stab you in the back and push you in the meat grinder. XD
Really? I suppose they are made out of concentrated carbon just like oil, wood and hair. What do you have to do though to get one to burn?
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Blood is thicker than water. The original phrase is 'The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb' which literally means the opposite to the way the shorter version is used.
From LM Montgomery's The Blue Castle (her best book!): "But who wants water to be thick?” parried Valancy. “We want water to be thin – sparkling – crystal-clear.”
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The one I absolutely despise: "Whoever wants it most will win," and variations on that. Yeah, whoever wants it most, as long as they have the exact same training, skills, genetics, height, weight, etc... As a middle aged, reasonably in shape woman, no matter how much I want it, I'm not going to win a fight against a professional heavyweight MMA fighter.
So many movies use "If you love something, set it free/let it go" and so characters will leave things behind or abandon people and I'm like, the phrase doesn't make sense without the second half. If you love something set it free. If it comes back to you, then it's yours.
I absolutely abhor "Boys will be boys". It justifies idiotic and/or abusive behavior for men.
then Girls will be Boss ass Bitches (i say this as praise)
Load More Replies... "You know my name, not my story." If someone is mistreating me, I don’t care what their story is. Being abused or facing struggles doesn’t give you the right to abuse others.
"Hurt people hurt people." Sure, but that doesn't mean they're free of consequences when they do. This was the excuse I heard for everyone from my bullies at school to my abusive stepfathers to my rapey cousins. Also if you think you get to hurt me because [insert systemic oppression/your assumptions re: my privileges here], then you better believe I get to hurt you and anyone else I want because [pick your systemic oppressions: a lifetime of abuse, panic and anxiety, physical illness, poverty, etc.].
How about "A stitch in time saves 9". I seriously doubt that anyone has done the research on this one - maybe it only saves 4. Or maybe it saves 15!? Who knows?
It means things like “stop calling New Zealand and Australia dictatorships for dealing with community outbreaks quickly instead of letting it run rampant.”
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"As useful as (breasts/mammaries) on a boar". A popular quote of my family's. Meaning as useful as a non-productive person or thing in any given situation.
"Thinking is as bad as doing." Nope. If I think I want to punch someone in the nose, as far as I know, "Thoughtcrimes" are not a thing (yet) and I haven't harmed anyone. If I actually punch him, I inflict damage on another human, I can be arrested for assault, and held liable for his injuries. Also, if it were true, "Thinking is as good as doing." would be possible and it isn't. Very little would ever be accomplished.
"You can't have your cake and eat it too". Why would I even want the cake then?
It means you can’t eat your cake and then still have it. So it’s perfectly fine if you eat it, as long as you don’t complain about not having cake anymore after that :) I think this saying could be used for people who spend all their money on luxuries for example and then complain about not having enough money for necessities.
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"Life is what you make of it." If that's true, where are my flying cars? And vacations at Lunar colonies? I get that it's all about how you perceive a situation, but that doesn't change the hardships some people have, or the tech we were promised for this century.
Life is what you make of it, and the ingredients you're handed greatly affect the end product.
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Overused metaphor is passed as wisdom then turned to cliche'.
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"Exceptions prove the rule" What does that even mean? I just HATE that saying with a passion.
It can mean that if you have identified that something is an exception to a rule, then some rule must in fact exist.
Load More Replies... Forgive everyone. That is not what the scripture says. It talks about the sinner repenting and being remorseful. It talks about them changing their ways and not doing the wrong again.
No Peter had to forgive his brother who sinned against him over and over 7 × 77 times. In the Our Father prayer you forgive everyone who sinned against you. You didn't have to forgive an unrepentant pharisee as an apostle, but since I'm just whoever and know no unrepentant pharisees, I play safe and forgive everyone. Also the ones who aren't sorry. You can pray that they will repent. I want em to go to heaven and I'm not gonna miss heaven for not forgiving someone.
Load More Replies... Inspirational life quotes in general are for people who wanna sound deep.It is so deep,thoughtful and wise to type "best sayings about______",press ctrl+c and then ctrl+v...baaam,you have changed so many lifes by quoting Twain or Gandhi.People who have sayings like that tattooed on their body are the same kind of people.Maybe they have Alzheimer's and can't remember "live,love,laugh" so they have to ink it on a visible body part so they can look at it when they wait in line when they buy groceries 🤷🏼♂️
my favorite saying is "this too shall pass". this exact moment will always pass.
Really? I suppose they are made out of concentrated carbon just like oil, wood and hair. What do you have to do though to get one to burn?
Load More Replies... Blood is thicker than water. The original phrase is 'The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb' which literally means the opposite to the way the shorter version is used.
From LM Montgomery's The Blue Castle (her best book!): "But who wants water to be thick?” parried Valancy. “We want water to be thin – sparkling – crystal-clear.”
Load More Replies... The one I absolutely despise: "Whoever wants it most will win," and variations on that. Yeah, whoever wants it most, as long as they have the exact same training, skills, genetics, height, weight, etc... As a middle aged, reasonably in shape woman, no matter how much I want it, I'm not going to win a fight against a professional heavyweight MMA fighter.
So many movies use "If you love something, set it free/let it go" and so characters will leave things behind or abandon people and I'm like, the phrase doesn't make sense without the second half. If you love something set it free. If it comes back to you, then it's yours.
I absolutely abhor "Boys will be boys". It justifies idiotic and/or abusive behavior for men.
then Girls will be Boss ass Bitches (i say this as praise)
Load More Replies... "You know my name, not my story." If someone is mistreating me, I don’t care what their story is. Being abused or facing struggles doesn’t give you the right to abuse others.
"Hurt people hurt people." Sure, but that doesn't mean they're free of consequences when they do. This was the excuse I heard for everyone from my bullies at school to my abusive stepfathers to my rapey cousins. Also if you think you get to hurt me because [insert systemic oppression/your assumptions re: my privileges here], then you better believe I get to hurt you and anyone else I want because [pick your systemic oppressions: a lifetime of abuse, panic and anxiety, physical illness, poverty, etc.].
How about "A stitch in time saves 9". I seriously doubt that anyone has done the research on this one - maybe it only saves 4. Or maybe it saves 15!? Who knows?
It means things like “stop calling New Zealand and Australia dictatorships for dealing with community outbreaks quickly instead of letting it run rampant.”
Load More Replies... "As useful as (breasts/mammaries) on a boar". A popular quote of my family's. Meaning as useful as a non-productive person or thing in any given situation.
"Thinking is as bad as doing." Nope. If I think I want to punch someone in the nose, as far as I know, "Thoughtcrimes" are not a thing (yet) and I haven't harmed anyone. If I actually punch him, I inflict damage on another human, I can be arrested for assault, and held liable for his injuries. Also, if it were true, "Thinking is as good as doing." would be possible and it isn't. Very little would ever be accomplished.
"You can't have your cake and eat it too". Why would I even want the cake then?
It means you can’t eat your cake and then still have it. So it’s perfectly fine if you eat it, as long as you don’t complain about not having cake anymore after that :) I think this saying could be used for people who spend all their money on luxuries for example and then complain about not having enough money for necessities.
Load More Replies... "Life is what you make of it." If that's true, where are my flying cars? And vacations at Lunar colonies? I get that it's all about how you perceive a situation, but that doesn't change the hardships some people have, or the tech we were promised for this century.
Life is what you make of it, and the ingredients you're handed greatly affect the end product.
Load More Replies... Overused metaphor is passed as wisdom then turned to cliche'.
Load More Replies... "Exceptions prove the rule" What does that even mean? I just HATE that saying with a passion.
It can mean that if you have identified that something is an exception to a rule, then some rule must in fact exist.
Load More Replies... Forgive everyone. That is not what the scripture says. It talks about the sinner repenting and being remorseful. It talks about them changing their ways and not doing the wrong again.
No Peter had to forgive his brother who sinned against him over and over 7 × 77 times. In the Our Father prayer you forgive everyone who sinned against you. You didn't have to forgive an unrepentant pharisee as an apostle, but since I'm just whoever and know no unrepentant pharisees, I play safe and forgive everyone. Also the ones who aren't sorry. You can pray that they will repent. I want em to go to heaven and I'm not gonna miss heaven for not forgiving someone.
Load More Replies... Inspirational life quotes in general are for people who wanna sound deep.It is so deep,thoughtful and wise to type "best sayings about______",press ctrl+c and then ctrl+v...baaam,you have changed so many lifes by quoting Twain or Gandhi.People who have sayings like that tattooed on their body are the same kind of people.Maybe they have Alzheimer's and can't remember "live,love,laugh" so they have to ink it on a visible body part so they can look at it when they wait in line when they buy groceries 🤷🏼♂️
my favorite saying is "this too shall pass". this exact moment will always pass.
