The Top 10: chiasmuses, or reversal aphorisms
Pithy sayings constructed by backwards the words putting
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Suggested by Jon Salt, starting with the most famous one, no 6, written by Ted Sorenson for JFK. The Oxford dictionary defines chiasmus as “a rhetorical or literary figure in which words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated in reverse order”. Some pedants insist that if it is the same words exactly that are reversed it is called antimetabole, but really. In rough chronological order, then...
1. “It is not the oath that makes us believe the man, but the man the oath.” Aeschylus, 525-456 BC.
2. “You can take the man out of Yorkshire, but...” Thanks to Phil Riley.
3. “Those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.” Origin unknown: used to dismiss criticism – or questions about seating arrangements – since at least 1938, and wrongly attributed to Theodor Geisel (Dr Seuss). Nominated by Stewart Slater.
4. “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” Winston Churchill, Mansion House speech, 10 November 1942.
5. “We shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us.” Winston Churchill, House of Commons, 28 October 1943, on plans to rebuild the chamber.
6. “My fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” John F Kennedy, inaugural address, 20 January 1961. There were several in that speech, another one being: “Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.”
7. “I can write faster than anyone who can write better, and I can write better than anyone who can write faster.” Joe Liebling, American journalist.
8. “You forget what you want to remember and you remember what you want to forget.” Cormac McCarthy, The Road, 2006.
9. “Those of us who have been granted a disproportionate ability to express ourselves may not always have the best selves to express.” Clive James, North Face of Soho, 2006.
10. “We were elected to change Washington, and we let Washington change us.” John McCain, speech, 4 September 2008.
Just as I was finishing this list Steven Fogel drew my attention to a long list of chiasmuses online, compiled by John G Harris, so if you want more, they are here.
Next week: The traditional seasonal round-up of jokes.
Coming soon: Top 10 Top 10s of 2019.
Your suggestions please, and ideas for future Top 10s, to me on Twitter, or by email to top10@independent.co.uk
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