5 Sayings We Have Ruined

How do English speakers “ruin” a saying?

To effectively “ruin” a quote, song lyric, slogan, etc., multiple factors such as overuse, incorrect use, and transformation of the phrase into a colloquialism must combine. It is very true that the English language is ever-changing and it is very incorrect to expect sayings to mean the same thing over time. I simply aim to address how annoying some incarnations of sayings can be.

And when I say annoying, I mean downright cringe-worthy. As my housemate Michelle would say, “Let’s all touch our uvulas.”

1. “You only live once.” I had never heard this saying before Drake popularized it in 2011 with his song “The Motto”. Surprisingly, this saying has a grand history. The phrase is very common in meaning to the Latin phrases “carpe diem” (seize the day) and “memento mori” (remember that you will die), both of which originated in Ancient Greece. German composer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Austrian composer Johann Strauss II used “you only live once” in plays and waltzes in the 18^th and 19^th centuries. “You only live once” is also commonly attributed to Mae West, a film star of the early 1900s. The Strokes penned a song called “You Only Live Once” for their 2006 album First Impressions of Earth. I think it’s reasonable to say that Drake was not the one who “ruined” YOLO, but initiated the rebirth of the saying into a rap music culture context. What did ruin YOLO was its use to justify dangerous (and sometimes life-threatening) behavior and its omnipresence in popular culture. It’s safe to say that when a saying makes it onto clothing, it has effectively been ruined.

2. “Keep calm and carry on.” This saying has origins in the UK, as it was originally used on motivational posters by the British government in 1939 in the months before the beginning of World War II. The posters had a very limited release and the saying remained virtually unknown before its rediscovery in the early 2000s and use as a decorative product. Obviously, the “Keep Calm and Carry On” products caught on, as they still sell like wildfire today in and out of the US (I personally own a mug with the saying on it from England). The endless parodies of this saying have “ruined” it. I will admit that some are clever, and that the saying itself is timeless and inspirational. However, it is very hard to take “Keep Calm and Carry On” seriously when “Keep Calm and Fake A British Accent” can be found just as commonly.

3. Song lyrics in general. One specific example: The lyrics to “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out” by The Smiths. Song lyrics are very precious to both the songwriter and the listener. Lyrics are also open to interpretation – personal interpretations of lyrics do not necessarily “ruin” them. What has ruined many song lyrics is the terrible, frivolous use of the lyrics in social media, popular vernacular, and my (least?) favorite, tattoos. (Why would anyone get a tattoo that says, “I am the walrus”? John Lennon was clearly the walrus.) The Smiths’ “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out” is a fine and solid piece of their catalogue. Most of my generation came into contact with this song/The Smiths through the 2009 film (500) Days of Summer. It is a lovely song with dark lyrics on life and death, composed in Morrissey’s wonderful poetic style. However, the first time I saw someone’s Facebook status as “And if a double decker bus crashes into us, to die by your side is such a heavenly way to die”, I cringed. That was it. There was no “I love this song” or explanation as to what this meant for people who didn’t know the song. It was ambiguous and, in my opinion, the lyrics had lost their artistry by simply being posted like that. And I’m sure someone out there has a tattoo of these lyrics.

4. “I hope she’ll be a fool—that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.” If you went to high school, you probably recognize this as a quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. I really despite this quote to begin with (stemming from my hatred of the Daisy character). I didn’t think I could hate it anymore than I already did, until girls started using it as a cute slogan. This quote has been ruined from blatant misuse and misunderstanding of its meaning. In this quote, Daisy confirms that she has been lost to her social environment. She does not challenge the limitations that her generation has placed on the intelligence and worth of women, and resigns the future of her unborn daughter to the same flippant role. Daisy is the complete opposite of an effective female role model – spouting her quotes from Gatsby is not conducive for anyone wanting to be taken seriously. The recent film based on the book has only increased the instances of this quote and others from Daisy being used. (In no way can the misuse be attributed to Fitzgerald and his character. He very beautifully created an awful character.)

5. Quotes by Marilyn Monroe. I have to address the fact that many quotes popularly attributed to her may not belong to her. That in itself ruins the quotes! I can honestly say I know close to nothing about Marilyn Monroe, so I don’t know anything about her character. However, from these quotes I see almost everyday scattered about the Internet and products alike, I have a very negative view toward Marilyn Monroe and her popular “quotes”. This is the one I see the most: “I’m selfish, impatient, and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control, and at times hard to handle. But if you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best.” I personally dislike this. I am very against the fact that the quote acknowledges the speaker’s negative traits and says “Deal with them” instead of “I’m working on them”. And who the heck is so special that someone should be able to put up with them 100% of the time? Just like with the aforementioned quote from Daisy, girls have taken on this quote as a sort of personal mantra. Here’s another: “Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.” This is very close to YOLO, in my opinion. My reaction is exactly the same. No one should strive to do nothing, but in my generation, being “absolutely ridiculous” is often akin to doing really dangerous things because we only live once.

It was really hard for me to finish this article because I was so annoyed.