To hate "sayings"

[everythingeverything1981]

Just because somebody says something and it passes into common usage, doesn't mean it's fecking true.

For example "never attribute to malice what can be explained by incompetence" Who the fuck said that? I'm pretty sure they had malice on their mind

I was generally happy at school, and walk to and from on my own from quite young with no problems (70's)

But I clearly remember walking home from school one day saying that to myself over and over and thinking 'rubbish they do!!' But trying to convince myself they don't🤣

I can't even remember what happened before that. I can only remember muttering that on the way home.🤣🤣

Totally agree! Many of them are a pile of horse manure.

One of my favourites is 'God doesn't give you anything you can't handle.'

Suicide proves otherwise.

Not sure what you're on about here?

The saying relates to things you want, such as maybe a part in a play, someone you're attracted to, a job, a house you want and if you truly want it, you'll get it

(I don't believe it myself, but I have used it in the past to stop myself thinking about something!!)

It has absolutely nothing to do with bad things happening to you

They're not saying though, they're just common things people say. Not the same thing.

Most of the ones mentioned here, especially 'What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger' and 'God never gives you more than you can handle'. And 'Sticks and stones'...obviously verbal abuse hurts.

Another that I hate is the one that keeps appearing on Facebook: 'If you can't handle me at my worst, you don't deserve me at my best'. Actually, I suppose that's true in a way: I don't deserve to have to deal with your capriciousness!

"Everything happens for a reason" always sounds particularly brainless to me, and is usually spouted by someone thinking smugly about how they met their spouse or some such.

I quite like this one, and I've used it to get me through some crap!!

For example "never attribute to malice what can be explained by incompetence" Who the fuck said that? I'm pretty sure they had malice on their mind

I like this saying because:

1. It usually is incompetence, even when mistakes pile up on each other.
2. Being paranoid doesn’t feel good.
3. If someone is trying to upset you and you just think, “ah, bless them, they can’t help it”, they will feel very frustrated.

@everythingeverything1981don’t put the keys to your happiness into someone else’s pocket

It’s irrationally annoying when people say a well known saying sagely and often add ‘as my granny would have said’ as if it’s some wise and meaningful piece of advice thought up by their relatives!

I think it's a good one and quite accurate too!!

Though I believe the actual quote is

'Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." - Robert J. Hanlon

but anything close enough is good enough for me!!

Blessed are the meek - meek in that context isn’t about permissiveness as such. It’s more about humility and not misusing your power (Macbeth refers to Duncan as ‘meek’ at one point in the play.)

A lot of biblical sayings are misunderstood. The poor are always with us is probably the one most taken out of context. It was actually Jesus telling his disciples ‘the poor will always be with you, but you won’t always have me’ (in other words, Christians should take time to pray and be with God, not running around doing endless good deeds.) However, it’s been changed to Jesus writing the first century Tory manifesto many times.

I love sayings especially as they often contradict each other.
For example “many hands make light work” and “too many cooks spoil the broth”
”fools rush in where angels fear to tread” and “he who hesitates is lost”

But I do agree with the saying about malice and incompetence: obviously malice happens, but incompetence is more pervasive and often equally damaging.

I love sayings

No good deed goes unpunished is depressingly often true.

But if anyone says only special mummies get special children they can fuck right off.

“Hindsight is a wonderful thing” always struck me as rubbish - I would change it to “hindsight is a bitch” because it tells you what you should have done when it’s far too late to do anything about it.

'Respect has to be earned'

Erm no it doesn't. I respect everyone unless they cause me to lose that respect.

'You don't regret what you've done. You regret what you didn't do'

Erm no again. I regret several things I've done.

I don't think that's the intention of that saying?

It absolutely made no sense to me as a child. I remember telling my Mum I was called fat and she instructed me to reply “sticks and stone may blah blah blah” back to my bully. Yeah, it didn’t work, I just got called fat again and I actually felt ashamed I allowed their words to hurt me, because you know, words are not supposed to
hurt.

I do love a Maya Angelou quote though 🤣 so I’m not completely against all sayings. I just need them to be realistic enough.

I heard a new one today. Live in Hope, die in Caergrwle. Possibly that one's a bit niche, admittedly...

Yes, someone attributed a famous Oscar Wilde quotation to their granny on here the other day.

Which I think is part of the problem. The not too bright seize onto anything that looks as if it might be on a fridge magnet, or something that ‘someone in the office’ is always saying, as if it’s a timeless nugget of wisdom, rather than a dopey cliché.

One of my Granny's favourites!

Politicians are like nappies: they should be changed regularly, and for the same reason.

I love sayings but it really irks me when people get them wrong and totally change the meaning. I'm not talking about a few words wrong but, for example, 'blood is thicker than water' means the exact opposite of the original quotation which is "the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb" (please don't jump on me if I've got the quotation slightly wrong!). The first basically says blood relatives are more important than friends whereas the original is saying nothing is more important than the family of the church I.e. not blood relatives!