The following is a set of language contradictions collected by Bryan Bunch in his book, “Mathematical Fallacies and Paradoxes”:
The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it. – Oscar Wilde
We have met the enemy, and he is us. – Walt Kelley
Please ignore this notice. – (Graffiti)
All Cretans are liars. – Epimenides (who was a Cretan himself)
The statement I am making is false. – Eublides
That last quote is also known as the Liar’s paradox, variations of which, like “this statement is false,” or “I am a liar,” and the following dialogue, are common:
Socrates: What Plato is about to say is false.
Plato: Socrates has just spoken truly.
Other playful paradoxes of language mentioned in Bunch’s book:
This sentence is French.
“Yields a false conclusion when appended to its own quotation” yields a false conclusion when appended to its own quotation. – Quine
“Is not the title of any book, so far as I know” is not the title of any book, so far as I know. – Douglas Hofstadter
Has your brain exploded yet?


Paradoxic
“A woman walks into a bar and asks for a double entendre. The bartender gives it to her.”
April 30, 2009 at 1:54 pm