Truism
A statement so obviously true that it is almost not worth saying.
A truism is a self-evident statement of fact. Its truth is not in dispute, which is both its strength — a truism is unarguable — and its weakness, since the unarguable rarely teaches.
Skilled writers deploy truisms strategically: as the anchor of an argument, as the setup for a reversal, or as a rhetorical breath before a less obvious claim. Used carelessly, a truism reads as filler.
Many lines that began life as fresh observations harden into truisms with repetition. 'Power corrupts' was once a sharp diagnosis; today it is a wall hanging. The careful quoter restores the original sting by citing the full sentence and its context.
“It is what it is.”
Keep reading the glossary
A traditional saying that expresses a generally accepted truth — almost always anonymous.
An old, well-known saying that has acquired authority through long use.
A phrase or quote so overused that it has lost most of its force.
A short, sharp statement that compresses a truth or observation into a single line.