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30 People On Reddit Respond To The Viral “What Popular Saying Is Actually Nonsense” Thread
"Money can't buy happiness," "looks don't matter," "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger": chances are you've heard all of these popular sayings more than a dozen times. Or even said them yourself—but do you really believe them? It's easy to say that money can't buy happiness for someone for whom money isn't a problem. But for someone who struggles to make ends meet and keep a roof over their head, money sure does bring at least some happiness or relief.
This week, one Reddit user asked others to share which popular sayings they find to be complete rubbish. As always, hundreds of people participated in the discussion, mentioning some really common sayings and explaining why they're nonsense. Scroll down below to read the best 45 replies and vote for the ones you agree with!
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"Money can't buy happiness."
Poverty can't buy anything.
Yep. This is the highest order of bullshittery. Money may not buy happiness but it will definitely buy comfort to make me forget about my miseries.
"The Customer is Always Right." Because half of it's missing. The full truism is "The Customer is Always Right in matters of taste."
Guy wants a pint of half baileys, half orange juice? He's paying...
Lady wants to wear a raw turkey as a hat? You do you love...
What it doesn't mean is that Kyle and Karen get free reign to treat people like [crap] because they happen to be handing over money at some stage of the interaction.
"There's plenty of fish in the sea"
You know what else there's plenty of in the sea? Trash.
‘If you can’t handle me at my worst you don’t deserve me at my best’
This is like toxic relationship starter pack stuff
This is a statement I have heard when they are ready to bail at the first sign of someone else's problems.
'What doesnt kill you just makes you stronger'..... bull. 2x cancer survivor here, it sure didnt make me any stronger...
"Looks don't matter."
They do. Not always, not completely, but they very much do matter. Humans are kind of superficial in that regard.
Yes they matter, the real truth to this saying is that not everyone finds the same things attractive.
"It doesn't matter who started it."
Of course it does. Even legally the concept of who did what first is recognized as vital.
“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
Nah mate, it just gives you trauma.
“Good things come to those who wait.”
Try waiting your whole life and see what comes to you.
I think that's an untrue quote too. if you want something good you have to work for it.
"it's just how I am." Well you're a [damn prick], change your behavior and act like a decent human!
"Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg are college dropouts"
Dude they went to Harvard, not community college.!
I hate when people use this one. Although I still agree you don’t need to have a degree to be a successful entrepreneur. But not everyone wants to be an entrepreneur. There’s no such thing as a college dropout surgeon.
“Happiness is a choice.” That’s maybe sometimes a little true, but depression is real, and it’s not what anyone chose.
Everything happens for a reason. (Like rape, murder, death of children, starvation, genocide, etc). Or my favorite, God doesn’t give you more than you can handle.
Recently someone told me a string of these statements. The underlying message, it will never happen to her. So, God let me have cancer; because of previous trauma, he knew I could handle it? The God I pray to is compassionate, loving, forgiving, and loves me. Nothing happens for reason, really? Explain cancer, abusive parents, and the rest. Yes I am stronger from surviving all it, so I deserve more? Her smug smile said she believed this was the appropriate response, she was being supportive, and kind. I was speechless. It is was a reminder of how painful words from a stranger can be. A skill I do not want or admire (Cancer was not traumatic, only stage 2, death was not an issue, the months of treatment were just annoying. I cried once. The doctors thought I was brave, I wasn't. My tears, frustration and anger were already used up.)
Once when I was younger I was in a Sunday school class where we were talking about why god lets bad things happen, and this one girl was talking about how her mom passed away and had to stop because she started crying...And then the next girl raised her hand to immediately follow up with “Everything happens for a reason”. You could just hear air sucking through teeth and everyone was looking around the room at each other thinking ”Did she really just say that??” I don’t think she meant to say it right after the other girl, I think that was what she was going to say before, but still..that was I think one of the worst things I’ve ever heard. Mentalities like that are that are one of the reasons I’m atheist.
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I think it’s helpful to understand that the phrase “God doesn’t give you more than you can handle,” is based on a passage in the Bible, but the context is completely misunderstood. Paul is writing that God will not give someone temptation beyond what they are equipped to flee from. It is not about hardships or circumstances, it’s about controlling one’s own behavior.
Stephen Fry on what he would say to God: “I would say: ‘bone cancer in children? What’s that about?’ “Because the God who created this universe, if it was created by God, is quite clearly a maniac, utter maniac. Totally selfish. We have to spend our life on our knees thanking him?! What kind of god would do that?” “Yes, the world is very splendid but it also has in it insects whose whole lifecycle is to burrow into the eyes of children and make them blind. They eat outwards from the eyes. Why? Why did you do that to us? You could easily have made a creation in which that didn’t exist. It is simply not acceptable. “It’s perfectly apparent that he is monstrous. Utterly monstrous and deserves no respect whatsoever. The moment you banish him, life becomes simpler, purer, cleaner, more worth living in my opinion"
Sad. I believe when we were all given the freedom to choose for ourselves, a gift. God knew we would make some terrible decisions. What would you choose, a perfect world where you must be a certain way to fit, or a wild untamed mess to make your own mistakes and are able to go after the essence of life with gusto?
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God doesn't do that to you. Life does. Life's a bitch, and god's there to look out for you.
Something religious people came up with clearly to cope with the indifference of the natural world
You and every other human being have free will. YOU are responsible for what YOU do as other people are responsible for what they do. God does not "cause wars or epidemics or fires or murders or force people to be monsters." People do that all on their own and blaming God for it means you are nothing but a child wanting someone to "save" you from your and other peoples' actions.
You might want to review @Quit yo jibba jabba's post.
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I get really irritated with Christians who say either of these. ‘Everything happens for a reason’ isn’t in the Bible. And the second one is “(God) won’t allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able” 1 Corinthians 10:13. There is a huge difference between temptation and suffering. Anyone who equates the two doesn’t know what they are talking about. Both these phrases belittle the suffering of others. It quickly tells me all I need to know about the speaker.
I was literally going to comment this I’ve had so much stuff happen in my life I’m like I’m sorry but I couldn’t handle some of those things at the time, and there certainly wasn’t a reason for me to have to deal with so much pain. Please stop projecting onto me to help yourself feel better about what happened to me
Tell that to the parents whose toddler was snatched , raped and murdered. Tell that to the victims families of 9/11 or any other terrorist acts. Tell that to the mum who has cancer and three young babies. No “God” has nothing to do with these atrocities. People = S**t. And your “god” clearly has no ability to right the wrongs of humans.
Ah, God. Yep - delusions from the fundamentally frightened and ignorant.
these are terrible and very harsh events to happen to anyone, but i still see light at the end of the tunnel. being someone that has an insanely hard life(because of many harsh events out of my own control,) i can say that without those many tough events i wouldnt be the person i am today with great empathy and understand of others (even those who are very different from myself.) life is tough and shitty horrid things happen, but we progress we grow we change and hopefully with the right help we truimph
According to this, I'm probably spineless, worthless disgusting piece of crap that had it coming. Nice to know.
It could also mean “yeah this bad thing happened to you but it will lead to something awesome later.” Like if you break your leg but meet a friend or lover at the hospital who makes you happy for the rest of your life.
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The "doesn't give you more than you can handle" ... such a load of.... And it always comes from someone who JUST after they say that brush-off phrase to you.... starts whining and crying and b**ching about how unfair the world is, and "Why why why???"... but ... oh wow... just see what they do when you throw this phrase back at them... ooooh boy... yeah, not pretty.
Obviously it happens for a reason. But it does not mean that it is a good thing. If someone is raped it is because there is a sick person who does it. That is one reason. It does not have because I will like the reason but there is.
I'm not sure who said it first, but it wasn't me... It should be, "Everything happens. It's our job to give it reason".
"Everything happens for a reason" is the entire basis of empirical science. Rape, for example, happens because the rapist decided they wanted sex and used violence to get it. The problem arises with the belief that the cause is moral and the victim is therefore blameworthy ("she was asking for it"), or that a bad thing happened to enable a better thing to happen ("If you hadn't been raped you wouldn't have had your beautiful child").
God doesn’t give you more than you can handle. God doesn’t give you anything.
Really? Parents beat/starve/abuse their children for REASONS? Rape occurs for REASONS? My ex-husband cheated on me for REASONS? Bull f*****g s**t. People act like animals, because sometimes that's exactly what they are. That's not a REASON, that's a lame & pathetic EXCUSE.
Yeah, I mentioned to my manager that my son might lose his business that is more than a business, it's a community. He works with a person widely regarded as being the best at what he does in the WORLD, and we're lucky enough to have him here. And due to Covid shutdowns, they may lose the business. It's my son's baby, and my grandbaby. The whole community will break up. It's helped so many people. It's such a great place and culture. I told my manager and that if it closes it will be very devastating, and he said in essence, "When things seem bleak, it turns out they always work out for the best." I plan to never speak to him again.
This is the worst! And something mostly religious people would say... bone cancer, Beslan and the Holocaust... God had a plan! Great guy, your god.
If 'god' (AKA imaginary friend, sky daddy, untreated mass psychosis) never have people more than they could handle, no one would ever commit suicide
So, I'm a Christian, and I love and trust God, but that doesn't mean I understand the whys, and it doesn't mean I'm cool with the bullshit toxic positivity that permeates American Christianity. I have been bludgeoned to death with "count it all joy!" (which comes from a Bible verse) by well-meaning fellow/sister (usually sister) Christians when I was in the depths of deepest, suicidal depression or going through a rough patch with chronic illness. You know what? Someday I'll get to "joy" but it ain't this day. God also tells us to weep with those who weep, so how about trying that one, huh? Also, "God doesn't give you more than you can handle" is bullshit and a complete misunderstanding of the verse it is (exceedingly loosely) based on. Bottom line -- we're going to suffer in this life. It's not God's fault. But no one needs to make it worse for us by spouting off a bunch of lame-ass platitudes that do nothing to convey compassion, empathy and God's love.
Ok so...everything does indeed happen for a reason, even the bad things. It doesn’t make sense to us, but someone looking back on their life might see a small sliver of the “big picture” and see that even bad things have a reason. Also, people tend to use the “God doesn’t give you more than you can handle” out of context. God promises this, not to what we think, but because He knows what we are capable of. Hope that helps ☺️
Everything happens for a reason...sometimes the reason is life just sucks
This one, the first part, is science. It doesn’t mean that rape happens to benefit others. It means that a set of circumstances has to occur in order for the person who committed the crime to make the decision to do what he or she did. Everything happens because something else made it happen. Everything happens according to it’s logical beginning following through to it’s logical conclusion. The second part, God doesn’t give you more than you can handle means that no matter whether you believe or not, you are given the gift of free will. If you choose God, you are not alone. You are part of a bigger family. And the truth is, that we are all better together and between all of us, there is nothing we can’t handle, together. If you are saying that to someone, you also have to have the mindset of thinking, “You are never alone, because we are all her together. It goes along with to whole saying, you are not a wave, you are part of the ocean.
The more accurate version would be "you can always craft a narrative to fit whatever life throws at you". Humans are natural storytellers, and also very prone to believing others' stories, no matter how implausible.
Thus why you should trust your instincts and intuition instead of blindly following the teachings of others
Load More Replies... The reason is God has allowed us to chose for ourselves instead of being His slaves.
Nonsense, just like that fairy-tale book of magic spells and talking snakes.
Load More Replies..."Life is like a box of chocolate. You never know what you're gonna get." Every box of chocolate I have seen has a little book that tells you what you'll get.
When someone tells a depressed person "just exercise and drink water." [Hell], I barely have enough motivation to breathe, what makes you think I'm gonna get up to exercise.
Telling a depressed person that they just need to exercise and drink water will only add to their guilt. Sometimes, they just need antidepressants.
"Practice makes perfect!"
I had a teacher that used to point out that no, practice makes permanent. If you practice something in an incorrect way, you're going to perform incorrectly.
“Sleep is for the weak” or “I’ll sleep when I die” Well actually, not sleeping is making you weaker and decreasing your lifespan as you gloat about it right now. Sleep is essential people.
I love my sleep. Anyone who believes these can GTFO and turn off the lights on the way out. Please and thank you. PS: Don't forget the door.
You don't need money to be happy.
Usually this quote is being used by those who are already filthy rich
Money buys food. A full belly feels much better than a hallow aching one. Not everyone sleeps in a bed. Some by choice, others due to circumstances they have no control of. Clean clothes that fit are wonderful. Worrying constantly about having money to pay bills is miserable. No health care! The list goes on. People's life's can be fundamentally changed with a larger fair income. Those with money do not want part with it. They can never have enough and have the power to change the rules to help them keep it. They need lots of money to be happy.
"Violence is never the answer."
It isn't usually the answer. But occasionally...it really is.
Sometimes, it is. My friends and I used to get bullied by this group of boys in middle school (they targeted one girl in particular). One day, we were playing card games when two of them sat next to us, uninvited, and the rest stood by the table, blocking us in. They started making fun of us and being asses, but we tried to ignore them and continued playing, so they took our cards, threw them everywhere and even started tearing them up. The 'ringleader' had sat next to me, and idk WHAT possessed me to do it, but I promptly turned around and SLAMMED his head into the wall as hard as I could. He and his buddies started calling me crazy but they scrambled away, and they left us alone after that.
"A watched pot never boils."
It does, I've checked.
“If you tell me the truth you won’t get into trouble”
Using the phrase, "it's just a few bad apples," to protect an institution when the full proverb says, " a few bad apples spoils the bunch."
Be yourself. If you're a [prick] and even the nice people hate you, then you should change and not be yourself
Hard work never killed anyone
Hmm . . . working fields and building pyramids did not make for longevity.
“Sleep like a baby”. It implies that babies sleep really well. My second is 4 days old; I can confirm babies don’t sleep well.
Like the old joke: "How are you sleeping?", "like a baby - I wake up crying every two hours".
You can achieve anything you set your mind to.
Only if you are practical concerning your goals. I'm too old to be a gymnast but I can play piano like Elton John.
"It's better to ask forgiveness than permission." Yeah eventually people are just gonna stop forgiving you.
It is a quote from Rear Admiral Grace Hopper, and it is related to being from an underprivileged group. It also does not mean that a person can do anything and then ask for forgiveness. It means that, when a person sees that an important action needs to be taken, they should do it, and not wait for permission. It does NOT mean that you should "borrow" your neighbor's Lamborghini for a joy ride, and then apologize.
If you love something set it free...
Uh no if you love something smother it with affection until you catch the early flight home and catch a couple naked dudes tag teaming your fiancé
Note: this post originally had 45 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
I don't know if it is only me but motivational talks demotivate me tremendously.
You aren't alone. I can't listen to that all warm fuzzy bull s**t.
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i really hate it when people say, "just ignore them, they're just doing it to get a rise out of you" a) do you have any idea how difficult it is to ignore them? and b) some people are just crap people
How about proverbs that contradict each other: 1. Absence makes the heart grow fonder v. Familiarity breeds contempt. 2. Look before you leap v. He who hesitates is lost. 3. Every cloud has a silver lining v. The light at the end of the tunnel is an oncoming train. 4. Don't change horses in mid-stream v. A new broom sweeps cleaner. 5. Finish what you start v. Don't throw good money after bad. 6. Opposites attract v. Birds of a feather flock together. 7. Clothes make the man v. Don't judge a book by its cover. 8. Great minds think alike v. Fools seldom differ. 9. Haste makes waste v. Time and Tide waits for no man. 10. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth v. Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.
1) Yeah, those are saying the same thing. 2) Don’t hesitate unnecessarily, but definitely don’t make an action without considering the consequences. 3) There’s a bright side and a dark side to every situation. 4) I don’t think those have much to do with each other, correct me if I’m wrong. 5) See 4 6) You have a point there. 7) The interior often impacts the exterior, but it’s good to look deeper. 8) Great minds will often analyze the situation and come to the same conclusion, whilst fools will all do the stupidest thing imaginable. 9) Similar to 2, don’t rush it, but don’t waste time. 10) Accept gifts politely, but examine it away from the giver.
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"He's a nice guy once you get to know him." Translation: He's an asshole, but you'll get used to it.
"Only God can judge me" - What? Don't you think you should be responsible for your actions now and not when you die? When I see someone with this tattooed, I instantly assume they are stupid.
“Only God can judge”- well mate, why aren’t you worried?
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I used to tell my buddy for just about every single little common cliché' there is often a quite opposite one that is equally as popular. - a stitch in time saves nine / if it ain't broke, don't fix it - good things come to those who wait / early bird gets the worm - a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush / nothing ventured, nothing gained etc etc.
I hate 'you can't buy health'. You can buy better food, better environment to live at(better place to live), better vitamin, better health care, etc. Yes, health itself maybe not, bit definitely better chances to overcome whatever comes at you.
Yes! And telling little girls “he’s being mean to you because he likes you!”
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'Love is love' or 'All love wins' or phrases like that. Unless of course it's paedophilia. 'Be true to yourself'/'Follow your dreams' - unless of course you are a serial killer or you dream of wiping out another race. 'Shoot for the moon, if you miss you'll be among the stars' - no, you'll probably be in crippling debt from all the money invested in following your dream - shoot for the moon, but have a parachute and a fall back position.
I personally find "you cant have your cake and eat it too" really daft. Whats the point of cake ifnot to scoff it...
If you eat your cake, you don’t have it anymore. You literally cannot do both.
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"Love yourself" You know it's pretty hard for people like me to just love ourselves. Our brains will always see ourselves as pure trash until we change and become who we want to be. Words cannot change the way we think about ourselves. The way other people think about us cannot change the way we think about ourselves.
Anything involving the word 'Passion'. I now refuse to apply for jobs that say 'Your passion is inspiring the citizens of tomorrow to think critically etc etc etc'. The school I see advertising a job like that is going to get anthrax in the mail and a copy of Epictetus.
No one included “The cream always rises to the top.” As in, if you’re really good enough, you’ll succeed without any support, and despite all the misfortunes and crap that life throws at you. Not true. In reality, s**t also rises to the top, and it can choke you.
I don't know if it is only me but motivational talks demotivate me tremendously.
You aren't alone. I can't listen to that all warm fuzzy bull s**t.
Load More Replies... i really hate it when people say, "just ignore them, they're just doing it to get a rise out of you" a) do you have any idea how difficult it is to ignore them? and b) some people are just crap people
How about proverbs that contradict each other: 1. Absence makes the heart grow fonder v. Familiarity breeds contempt. 2. Look before you leap v. He who hesitates is lost. 3. Every cloud has a silver lining v. The light at the end of the tunnel is an oncoming train. 4. Don't change horses in mid-stream v. A new broom sweeps cleaner. 5. Finish what you start v. Don't throw good money after bad. 6. Opposites attract v. Birds of a feather flock together. 7. Clothes make the man v. Don't judge a book by its cover. 8. Great minds think alike v. Fools seldom differ. 9. Haste makes waste v. Time and Tide waits for no man. 10. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth v. Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.
1) Yeah, those are saying the same thing. 2) Don’t hesitate unnecessarily, but definitely don’t make an action without considering the consequences. 3) There’s a bright side and a dark side to every situation. 4) I don’t think those have much to do with each other, correct me if I’m wrong. 5) See 4 6) You have a point there. 7) The interior often impacts the exterior, but it’s good to look deeper. 8) Great minds will often analyze the situation and come to the same conclusion, whilst fools will all do the stupidest thing imaginable. 9) Similar to 2, don’t rush it, but don’t waste time. 10) Accept gifts politely, but examine it away from the giver.
Load More Replies... "He's a nice guy once you get to know him." Translation: He's an asshole, but you'll get used to it.
"Only God can judge me" - What? Don't you think you should be responsible for your actions now and not when you die? When I see someone with this tattooed, I instantly assume they are stupid.
“Only God can judge”- well mate, why aren’t you worried?
Load More Replies... I used to tell my buddy for just about every single little common cliché' there is often a quite opposite one that is equally as popular. - a stitch in time saves nine / if it ain't broke, don't fix it - good things come to those who wait / early bird gets the worm - a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush / nothing ventured, nothing gained etc etc.
I hate 'you can't buy health'. You can buy better food, better environment to live at(better place to live), better vitamin, better health care, etc. Yes, health itself maybe not, bit definitely better chances to overcome whatever comes at you.
Yes! And telling little girls “he’s being mean to you because he likes you!”
Load More Replies... 'Love is love' or 'All love wins' or phrases like that. Unless of course it's paedophilia. 'Be true to yourself'/'Follow your dreams' - unless of course you are a serial killer or you dream of wiping out another race. 'Shoot for the moon, if you miss you'll be among the stars' - no, you'll probably be in crippling debt from all the money invested in following your dream - shoot for the moon, but have a parachute and a fall back position.
I personally find "you cant have your cake and eat it too" really daft. Whats the point of cake ifnot to scoff it...
If you eat your cake, you don’t have it anymore. You literally cannot do both.
Load More Replies... "Love yourself" You know it's pretty hard for people like me to just love ourselves. Our brains will always see ourselves as pure trash until we change and become who we want to be. Words cannot change the way we think about ourselves. The way other people think about us cannot change the way we think about ourselves.
Anything involving the word 'Passion'. I now refuse to apply for jobs that say 'Your passion is inspiring the citizens of tomorrow to think critically etc etc etc'. The school I see advertising a job like that is going to get anthrax in the mail and a copy of Epictetus.
No one included “The cream always rises to the top.” As in, if you’re really good enough, you’ll succeed without any support, and despite all the misfortunes and crap that life throws at you. Not true. In reality, s**t also rises to the top, and it can choke you.
