Eli5: How does the phrase’Never say never’make sense when you are already asking to say never by using the word never?

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Eli5: How does the phrase’Never say never’make sense when you are already asking to say never by using the word never?

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4 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Because it’s short for “**Never say** that you can **never** do something”. It’s not actually referring to the word itself.

Anonymous 0 Comments

One is a noun, one is a verb

The first Never is a Verb denoting the action to NEVER do something.

Where as the 2nd Never is a Noun denoting the word NEVER.

Therefore Never say Never makes sense.

Anonymous 0 Comments

In the same way that “all generalizations are false” makes sense. People don’t mean it literally, and part of the charm of the phrase is the inconsistency which can be attractive.

Anonymous 0 Comments

“Never say never,” if used correctly, is a grammatical idiom. It breaks the rule of having two negatives in one sentence and is a statement of emphatic belief that what is true today may become false in the future, or vice versa.