ox-y-mor-on-i-ca
(OK-se-mor-ON-uh-ca) noun, plural: Any variety of tantalizing,
self-contradictory statements or observations that on
the surface appear false or illogical, but at a deeper
level are true, often profoundly true. See also oxymoron,
paradox.
examples:
"Melancholy is the pleasure
of being sad."
Victor Hugo
"To lead the people, walk
behind them."
Lao-tzu
"You'd be surprised how
much it costs to look this cheap."
Dolly Parton
You won't find the word "oxymoronica"
in any dictionary (at least not yet) because Dr. Mardy
Grothe introduces it to readers in this delightful collection
of 1,400 of the most provocative quotations of all time.
From ancient thinkers like Confucius, Aristotle, and
Saint Augustine to great writers like Shakespeare, Oscar
Wilde, and G. B. Shaw to modern social observers like
Woody Allen and Lily Tomlin, Oxymoronica celebrates
the power and beauty of paradoxical thinking. All areas
of human activity are explored, including love, sex
and romance, politics, the arts, the literary life,
and, of course, marriage and family life. The wise and
witty observations in this book are as highly entertaining
as they are intellectually nourishing and are sure to
grab the attention of language lovers everywhere.
