Of quotes, clichés and Murphy’s laws

Ever wondered how simple sentences, through persistent repetition turn into clichéd sayings or even proverbs, developing an entirely new range of meanings. I mean think about it, ‘Every coin has two sides.’ Hardly sensational! But now the sides mean right and wrong. And yeah, ‘Old is gold.’ In that case I’m practically a billionaire. Watch out, Mr. Gates!! I’ve got practically ancient dust behind my cupboard; the dust is so old it must have evolved by now and is probably planning world domination.(I saw it gathering more dust!)

Of course if you don’t agree with a particular saying there’s always an opposite one to save the day. Let me give you an example: ‘Birds of feather flock together’ and if that doesn’t suit your purpose there’s always ‘Opposites attract.’ And the quotes don’t always have to make sense but may just be funny sounds – ‘Tit for tat.’ Does it really mean what we think it does? Or was it something else entirely, like stone-age men trading funny sounding, well…. stones? And well, we can always thank out teachers for those clichéd expression. I mean ‘It is what it is??’ Yeah thanks ma’am. That really solves my doubt. Why the heck couldn’t I think of it myself??

Certainly, in some cases quotes are invaluable. (For example the first line of my first post!) Jokes aside, you sometimes really need those sayings. For example in a speech, or in essays, where eloquence is of paramount importance, those little quotes do make a lasting impression. They also make you come across as well-read, provided that the quote is not out of context. You can’t really say ‘Where there’s life there’s hope’ at a funeral and hope to get away with it!

Don’t get me wrong, I like to use phrases as much as the next person; I just can’t help but think that most of them are a pile of rubbish, except of course Murphy’s laws! For the uninitiated, Murphy’s laws are a collection of random pessimistic thoughts with a pinch of humour, not necessarily coined by Murphy. The oft quoted one being, ‘If anything can go wrong, it will.’ One of my personal favourites is ‘Smile, tomorrow will be worse.’ Yes, the situation you are in now is a piece of cake. Never mind that you cannot find a place to hide that body- tomorrow will be worse!!

Yes, I know I’ve mostly talked about the negative aspects of phrases and my views may be a bit prejudiced. Well, look at the title of my blog. What did you really expect to find eh? Poems about daffodils?? Or perhaps about a rainy day on a cloudless night? I know the last line doesn’t really make sense; so sue me!

Anyways, I think that’s about enough for today. I haven’t really said all that I wanted to… but well, there’s always the next post! Stay hanged ????…. on my page!

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