Question

interpreting paradoxes
many famous quotations contain paradoxes that state surprising truths. in two or three sentences, explain each of the following quotations.

1. failure, in a sense, is the highway to success, insomuch as every discovery of what is false leads us to seek earnestly after what is true.

--john keats

1. a lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.

--mark twain

1. a lifetime of happiness! no man alive could bear it....

--george bernard shaw, man and superman (1903), act 1

1. the wisest mind has something yet to learn.

--george santayana

1. i must be cruel only to be kind.

--william shakespeare, hamlet, act 3 scene 4

1. what a pity that youth must be wasted on the young.

--george bernard shaw

Explanation:

1. Failure reveals false - ways, guiding us to truth and thus success.
2. Lies spread quickly while truth takes time to prepare and spread.
3. Continuous happiness may be overwhelming and hard to endure.
4. Knowledge is boundless, so even the wisest can learn more.
5. Sometimes tough actions are for the greater good of kindness.
6. The young may not fully appreciate or make the best use of youth.

Answer:

1. Failure shows false - paths, leading to truth and success.
2. Lies spread fast, truth is slow to start.
3. Constant happiness may be unendurable.
4. Knowledge is infinite, wisest can learn more.
5. Toughness for the sake of kindness.
6. Youth is under - appreciated by the young.