Ever noticed how life is full of advice that contradicts itself?
“Look before you leap.”
But also, “He who hesitates is lost.”
“Good things come to those who wait.”
But also, “The early bird catches the worm.”
Wait a second… so should I wait patiently, or jump quickly? Should I seize the moment or think things through?
The weird truth is: both are true. And their opposites? Also true. Life, as it turns out, is one giant paradoxical ocean, and we’re all swimming in it.

Though I’ve explored this idea before in a blog called “Why Proverbs/Idioms Aren’t Universal”, where I talked about how every proverb seems to have a counter-proverb. You can consider this an extension to that blog.
The Truth About Truth
Let’s take the classic example: “Patience is a virtue.”
Yes, it sounds wise, and sometimes it really is. Like when you’re waiting for your plants to grow, or your career to take off, or your Uber driver who’s taking five extra turns for no reason.
But then comes real life – like standing in a never-ending queue at the coffee shop when you’re already late for work. That’s when the opposite truth kicks in: “Time waits for no one.”
Do you patiently wait and risk being late… or do you ditch the coffee and save your job? Sometimes, virtue needs caffeine. Fast.
So what gives?
The answer is – truth is flexible. It bends, shifts, and stretches depending on the moment, the context, and sometimes, your mood.
Context is everything. What’s true in a calm sea might kill you in a storm. What works at 25 may not work at 45. What saved you last year may suffocate you this year. This is the paradox.

Welcome to the Paradox Club
You’re not crazy for feeling confused. Life is paradoxical. Always has been.
Here are a few more contradictory truths that are both valid:
Be yourself. But also, keep evolving.
Speak your truth. But also, listen deeply.
Don’t care what people think. But also, be empathetic.
Trust the timing of your life. But also, don’t wait forever.
The human brain isn’t too fond of these contradictions. It likes clean answers and clear labels. But real wisdom? It often lives in the tension between opposites.
Think of your beliefs not as permanent ink but as something more flexible, like a sticky note or a pair of flip-flops. Your belief that “hard work pays off” may serve you well, until it burns you out and you realise that sometimes, rest is the real productivity.
Your belief that “love conquers all” might hold you through heartbreak — until you realise that boundaries are love, too.
That doesn’t make your old belief wrong. It just means it had a season.
Beliefs are tools. Not identities. Not prison cells. You don’t have to keep holding onto something just because it once worked.
Let Me Tell You About the Time I Couldn’t Choose Between Two Truths
I once found myself at a fork in the road — not a metaphorical one, an actual one. I was hiking alone, thinking deep thoughts (as one does), and came across two signs. One said, “Shortcut to summit.” The other said, “Scenic long route.”
In one ear, I heard the voice of productivity: “Save time, be efficient. The goal is the summit.”
In the other, the romantic: “Life’s about the journey, not the destination!”
So what did I do?
I stood there. For 10 minutes. Stuck between two perfectly valid truths.
Eventually, I took the long route. It rained. I slipped. I never made it to the summit. But I also saw the most ridiculous double rainbow and had the best sandwich of my life sitting on a rock.
Was it the right choice? Who knows. That’s kind of the point.
Life Isn’t a Test With One Right Answer
We’re taught to look for the answer. The best choice. The ultimate truth. But most of the time, there isn’t one. There are just choices — each with their own flavor of joy, struggle, growth, and surprise.
Sometimes you need to push.
Sometimes you need to surrender.
Sometimes you need to be brave.
Sometimes you need to sit down and cry.
You can’t apply one truth to all of life any more than you can wear flip-flops to a snowstorm. Truth changes with the weather.
The Wisdom of “It Depends”
If I could offer one underrated piece of wisdom, it’s this: ‘It depends.’
It’s not vague. It’s not lazy. It’s actually a sign of maturity.
“It depends” means you understand that every person, every situation, every moment is a universe of its own. And that maybe, just maybe, you don’t need one truth to rule them all.
So, the next time you feel super convinced that you’re right, pause.
Ask yourself, “What would the opposite of this belief look like?”
And then… “Could that also be true for someone else, somewhere, somehow?”
You’ll be amazed at how this opens you up. Not to indecision, but to compassion. To curiosity. To the possibility that there’s more than one way to live.
Surf the Paradox, Don’t Drown in It
We often treat life like a debate. Like, we need to win an argument with the world.
But what if life is more like surfing?
You don’t control the ocean. You don’t pick the waves. But you learn to ride, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes falling flat on your face, and it’s all part of the ride.
There is wisdom in both waiting and acting. In speaking and staying silent. In holding on and letting go.
You don’t need to pick a side forever. You just need to show up, feel your moment, and choose what fits right now.
So the next time you hear two totally opposite pieces of advice, smile.
You’re not stuck. You’re just surfing the paradox.
P.S. If this idea lit something up in you, go check out my earlier blog: “Why Proverbs/Idioms Aren’t Universal,” or “The Best Advice I’ve Heard So Far“. It dives deeper into how almost every wise saying has an equally wise contradiction – and how you can still find your way through the noise.
Because maybe, the truth is not about choosing one side.
Maybe the truth is: there are many truths. And you’re allowed to live them all.
Take a break from scrolling—dive into a book that matters. Unfold the Stories of Unsung Heroes Part 3 is OUT NOW.
May 6, 2025 at 9:06 pm
Very much inspiring and a great post:
The weird truth is: both are true. And their opposites? Also true. Life, as it turns out, is one giant paradoxical ocean, and we’re all swimming in it. This one…👌👌👌
May 7, 2025 at 11:43 am
Yeah, paradoxes all around us. I see them every day. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Suma.
May 7, 2025 at 12:46 pm
Really my pleasure 😇
May 6, 2025 at 10:25 pm
Very interesting piece, Ritish. Life is a walking contradiction. Flexibility is a much healthier and sustainable approach than rigidity.
“Beliefs are tools. Not identities. Not prison cells.” Those lines jumped out at me. Outstanding!
May 7, 2025 at 11:45 am
I really believe that when we stop clinging too tightly to our beliefs, life feels lighter and a lot more peaceful. So happy those lines stood out to you, Pete.
May 7, 2025 at 12:29 am
So true, Ritish. The best or most enjoyable thing to do depends on the situation.
May 7, 2025 at 11:50 am
So glad you connected with the idea.
May 7, 2025 at 1:33 am
I was contemplating the idea of truth just a few days ago. Thanks for sharing.
May 7, 2025 at 11:52 am
Love when ideas align like that. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Joseph.
May 7, 2025 at 2:22 pm
Thank you, Ritish, for the excellent post!
Joanna
May 8, 2025 at 11:30 am
Thanks for reading, Joanna.
May 8, 2025 at 10:00 pm
Enjoyable write-up, Ritish! I think we should all learn to surf!☀️
May 9, 2025 at 12:22 pm
Appreciate it, Lisa. Life’s way more fun when we learn to ride the waves.
May 9, 2025 at 9:13 pm
So many people are hard-headed. My nature was to be hard-headed. I think hard-headedness is based on laziness. Selecting a side, staying there, and not considering another side is easier. If you consider other sides, you must unwind your brain and open it up. Faith opened my mind to all people while judging none.
Wonderful, well-written article!!
May 12, 2025 at 11:02 am
You’ve said it beautifully, Dennis. It really easier to pick a side and stick to it. But true growth, like you said, happens when we’re brave enough to open up, unlearn, and look deeper. Appreciate your kind words and reflection.
May 10, 2025 at 7:37 pm
Ritish, insightful, comprehensive, compellingly written, wonderfully great advice! It’s so sad when we get stuck on one truth and cannot empathize with the views of others! ❤️
May 12, 2025 at 11:10 am
Totally agree, Cheryl. Getting stuck on one truth can really narrow our world. Empathy opens it up again.
May 13, 2025 at 4:35 am
Your observations remind me of the many philosophical discussions I had with fellow faculty members in India during my time in Bharat Mata.
May 14, 2025 at 11:44 am
That must’ve been a meaningful time, Ian. Those kinds of conversations have a way of shaping how we see the world.
And ‘Bharat Mata’, now that’s a poetic way to refer to India, love it ❤️
May 13, 2025 at 5:11 am
This is fantastic. What a great way to make a point about the world not being just black and white, right? 🙂 Many, many layers!
May 14, 2025 at 12:09 pm
Thanks so much, Stacey. Yep, life’s way more layered than just black and white. The greys (and all the colors) are where it gets interesting.
May 14, 2025 at 3:44 am
Your post hits home on both ends of the scales…
Truth also expands…. What is true today can change tomorrow, depending on the discoveries that expand on what is known.
It is sad that many can not expand their own thinking, as you have done here excellently within this post.. Seeing both sides of the coin.
Most only see the truth they want to see, and what sits comfortable with them..
I came upon a great quote today, that I saved… There was no author to credit the saying.
The quote said..
“You must always be willing to truly consider evidence that contradicts your beliefs, and admit that you may be wrong.
Intelligence isn’t knowing everything, It’s the ability to challenge everything you know.”…
I think Ritish, your observations did just that.. Well done 🙂
May 14, 2025 at 12:17 pm
Really appreciate this, Sue. That quote you shared is such a gem ❤️it really captures what so many of us forget. Being smart isn’t about having all the answers, it’s about being open to better ones. My maternal grandma (she passed away recently) used to say: Truth isn’t this fixed destination, it evolves with us, if we let it. Seeing the truth that feels comfortable is such a human thing, and yet such a limiting one.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
May 17, 2025 at 4:14 am
Love your post and the paradoxes and push pull of it all! Great examples and questions to continue to explore as they change at different times and stages of our lives, Ritish!
Thanks for your wisdom and insight’s! 🩷
May 18, 2025 at 7:23 pm
Life’s push and pull really does shape us in unexpected ways. I think the key is exactly what you said, to keep exploring, questioning, and growing with each stage.
Appreciate your kind words, Cindy 🫂❤️
May 18, 2025 at 11:07 pm
Isn’t it though.. the internal struggle and how to move and when to pull the trigger and when not to, when to fold the shop and when to open a new one. Life is exactly that and you executed the importance of the keep on keeping on with every step.
You are most welcome, always Ritish! 💕
May 21, 2025 at 3:56 pm
I’ve come to believe there’s no perfect moment, just the courage to move with the moment we’ve got. Always grateful for your reflections, Cindy 🙏🏼
May 26, 2025 at 1:19 am
You make some very valid points. However, while I certainly agree that life is full of paradoxes, I cannot agree that truth is flexible. There are profound truths which withstand time.
Yes, we need sound judgment to choose our course of action in different circumstances. But we, also, need wisdom to recognize the truth by which we live our lives.
Wishing you always the best,
A. <3
May 26, 2025 at 4:43 pm
I hear you, and I think you’ve touched on something really important. Some truths absolutely hold strong across time. And maybe the challenge (and beauty) of life is figuring out which truths are solid foundations… and which ones are more like stepping stones we outgrow.
May 26, 2025 at 6:07 pm
I agree 100 percent!! This is why I’m bad at debating, I can see both sides of the story and would be awful at jury duty. (I went once, but was dismissed). So much of it depends on what you’re going through, and I do flip flop between “late bloomer” and super fast, as I’ve been called “super woman” and “the queen of multi-tasking.” This is why discussions and deep talks are so important, so we learn from each other rather than assuming one way is 100 percent right or wrong. Life is gray, and gray is beautiful — I have three gray cats!
May 27, 2025 at 5:00 pm
Haha Maryanne, this comment made my day. I think being able to see both sides is actually a strength, not a weakness. Life is indeed gray, messy, magical and apparently full of multi-tasking queens like you.
Give your cats a scratch behind the ears ❤️