Paradox
A statement that appears self-contradictory but reveals a deeper truth on reflection.
A paradox is a statement, situation, or idea that appears to contradict itself but proves, on reflection, to express a truth. 'The more you know, the more you realise you do not know.' 'Less is more.' 'To save the village, we had to destroy it.'
Paradox is one of the most powerful tools in aphorism, scripture, and philosophy because it stops the reader. Self-contradiction breaks the autopilot of reading; the mind has to slow down and resolve the line, and the resolution is what the writer is teaching.
True paradox should not be confused with mere contradiction. A contradiction is a logical error; a paradox is a logical surface concealing a deeper coherence.
“I know one thing: that I know nothing.”
Keep reading the glossary
An ABBA word-order reversal — 'ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country'.
A grammatical balance of two opposed ideas — 'to be or not to be'.
A short, sharp statement that compresses a truth or observation into a single line.
The art of persuasive speaking and writing — the discipline behind every great quoted line.