Yogi-ism
A paradoxical or malapropistic quotation in the style of baseball manager Yogi Berra — accidentally profound.
A Yogi-ism is a saying that appears to contradict itself or misuse language, yet delivers a genuine insight — named for the American baseball catcher and manager Yogi Berra (1925–2015), whose off-the-cuff remarks became a whole subgenre of American quotation. 'It ain't over till it's over', 'When you come to a fork in the road, take it', and 'Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded' are classic examples.
Berra himself once observed, characteristically, 'I really didn't say everything I said' — a warning that Yogi-isms attract heavy misattribution. Many lines credited to him were sharpened by sportswriters, or were his repetitions of things he had heard elsewhere.
The wider category is useful. A Yogi-ism names any accidental-seeming paradox that survives quotation because, once you sit with it, it turns out to be true. The form is a reminder that wisdom does not always arrive in polished sentences — sometimes it arrives in ones that had to be spoken before they were understood.
“You can observe a lot by just watching.”
Keep reading the glossary
A statement that appears self-contradictory but reveals a deeper truth on reflection.
A clever, often spontaneous remark that delivers humour through verbal ingenuity.
Assigning a quote to the wrong person — the most common error in quotation.
A neatly turned witty remark — literally a 'good word' in French.