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.
life is full of s**t, when you look at it...
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I *hate* this phrase. "I'm toughening you up" is a favorite phrase of abusers to their children. Nope, I got left with scars, PTSD, and nightmares.
That phrase does definitely not apply to trauma, but more to inconveniences. I feel you and truly, wholeheartedly wish you will heal.
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My 4th favorite T-shirt: "That Which Does Not Kill Me....should run."
I think it is now your obligation to make a post about your top ten.
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I’ve always joked, “What doesn’t kill you wears you down, so it can finish you off on the next pass.”
Both me and my wife are dissabled. Our respective car crash did not kill any of us. But it sure as... something hot... did not make us stronger.
Cancer didn't kill me, and it sure as heck made me stronger emotionally. I use this saying all the time, it applies for me.
Yeah, cancer made me stronger emotionally, but tore me up physically. I'm glad to be alive (most of the time).
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The vaccine is basically a training dummy that is too weak to effectively do anything, so the immune system learns to recognize and fight it.
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It also suggests that if you DO die, you are/were weak. Yeah, go ahead and blame someone for being "too weak" to survive cancer, severe depression, or being kidnapped.
It's not about the survival of the fittest. Ignore the death comment. It's about what makes you stronger until then. That's what truly makes you stronger. The strength you get from such things. For those that did die they are not weak it's just a hell lot more complicated.
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The more I learn about mental health, the more clearly I see how BS this statement is. Trauma - whether full-blown PTSD or the more "garden-variety" kind that leaves you with anxiety, trust issues, etc - leaves you with issues that can take years of therapy just to bring you back to normal. The only "stronger" anywhere in that comes from the benefit that years of therapy can have on your ability to understand your own emotions etc, something that you could have done without the inciting events. And of course physical issues are the same, maybe you got that hip replaced but you're going to have recurring issues with it your entire life.
It will take years of therapy. If you find a good therapist. Not too far. Who is affordable. A lot of people with PTSD and similar issues spend years in wrong treatment, causing just as much damage as the trauma itself. I gave up on therapy eventually. I prefer Bored Panda. 😜
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Measles literally makes you weaker. It destroys your immune system making you more likely to die from otherwise mundane diseases...
Post traumatic growth is a thing... though it does require proper support.
If your medical bills leave you weaker then you live in the wrong country.
If this were true, it would imply that literally everything that doesn't kill you will make you stronger. Including not only traumatic events, but also stuff like eating potato chips all day or drinking beer. It can be argued that those don't count because they do kill you, only slowly -- except that so does trauma.
I absolutely hate this saying .. so much .. disease, abuse, mental health illness, etc etc can and often DO make you weaker
I prefer "strength through adversity." Adverse situations can teach you new skills and resiliency. Things which might actually kill you are just bad.
Having PTSD and medical bills do not necessarily make you weaker. lifting heavy weights that could crush you, definitely makes you stronger.
My son has a severe bleeding disorder. I've watched him die about 25 times, seen more blood than anyone should ever see and hospitalized hundreds. What doesn't kill you may make you stronger but it can also lead to severe ptsd. I wouldn't wish what we've been through on anyone. Did this as a single parent, his sister, him and i all suffer from terrible anxiety and ptsd.
This is one of many excerpts from Nietzche’s classic and historically important novel “Thus Spoke Zarathustra: A Book for Everyone and No One.” So many passages from that work got taken out of context, appropriated for other aims and twisted beyond all recognition. The interested reader can dive into this online for more detail.
This was my quote in my graduation yearbook. This saying isn't just about delibating diseases it's about adversity. It's about mental and emotional and even some physical problems but look at it for what it is...adversity. Even if it's a step, a hug or a session it is something! Death is inevitable. It's about what you do that make you stronger.
'Killing' in this context is not necessarily literal. If you have PTSD and manage to overcome it, it hasn't 'killed' you and you're bound to come out stronger. Hardship is, unfortunately, how we grow as human beings.So Nietzsche made good a point IMHO.
Are you aware how insanely rare it is for someone to get over PTSD? In 99% of cases you have a traumatic event and you come out with PTSD instead of dead, you are NOT stronger than you were; PTSD is one of the most debilitating mental illnesses there is. The lucky ones only end up with garden-variety anxiety or recurring dreams, neither of which makes them stronger, either. The quote in this context is pure BS said by someone who does not understand trauma.
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This one symbolizes long hours and hard work, the two consistent ingredients to become successful.
'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.
“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.
