--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People who express themselves in…" description: "\"People who express themselves in paradoxes are in a strong position; and the more outrageous the paradox, in general the stronger the position.\" — Bern..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/bernard-williams-15194_general_people-who-express-themselves-in-paradox_3158485.png" --- # People who express themselves in paradoxes are in a strong… ![“People who express themselves in paradoxes are in a strong position; and the more outrageous the paradox, in general the stronger the position.” quote by Bernard Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/bernard-williams-15194_general_people-who-express-themselves-in-paradox_3158485.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/bernard-williams-15194_general_people-who-express-themselves-in-paradox_3158485.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/bernard-williams-15194_general_people-who-express-themselves-in-paradox_3158485.png) > “People who express themselves in paradoxes are in a strong position; and the more outrageous the paradox, in general the stronger the position.” [Bernard Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-williams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Paradoxical statements can reveal deeper truths and strengthen one's argumentative stance. **In simple terms:** Paradoxes can make arguments stronger. Key Takeaway Embrace paradoxes to sharpen reasoning. Themes philosophy logic argumentation creativity Mood thoughtful provocative intellectual Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - debate - writing - teaching - public speaking Key Concepts Dialectics paradox critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - When does a paradox become counterproductive? - How can you explain a paradox clearly? A Different Perspective Paradoxes may confuse audiences if not clarified. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Paradox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paradox/) [Paradoxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paradoxes/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [“At times, one can win clever people over to a principle merely by presenting it in the form of an outrageous paradox.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/at-times-one-can-win-clever-people-over-to-a-principle-merely-by/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Though we talk peace, we wage war. Sometimes we even wage war in the name of peace. Does that seem paradoxical? Well, war is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/though-we-talk-peace-we-wage-war-sometimes-we-even-wage-war-in-the/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [This is classic when you begin thinking about what is a great founder is, you navigate what is apparent paradoxes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/this-is-classic-when-you-begin-thinking-about-what-is-a-great-founder/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [It is one of the great paradoxes of the stock market that what seems too high usually goes higher and what seems too low…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-neil/it-is-one-of-the-great-paradoxes-of-the-stock-market-that-what-seems/) [William O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-neil/) > [Only by acknowledging the full extent of slavery's full grip on U.S. Society - its intimate connections to present day wealth and power, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-a-blackmon/only-by-acknowledging-the-full-extent-of-slavery-s-full-grip-on-u-s/) Douglas A. Blackmon > [“The ancient sages never put their teachings in systematic form. They spoke in paradoxes, for they were afraid of uttering half-truths. They began by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-ancient-sages-never-put-their-teachings-in-systematic-form-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I look upon paradoxes as the impotent efforts of men who, not having capacity to draw attention and celebrity from good sense, fly to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-walpole/i-look-upon-paradoxes-as-the-impotent-efforts-of-men-who-not-having/) [Horace Walpole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-walpole/) > [The Socratic teacher turns his students away from himself and back onto themselves; he hides in paradoxes, makes himself inaccessible. The intimate relationship between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-jaspers/the-socratic-teacher-turns-his-students-away-from-himself-and-back/) [Karl Jaspers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-jaspers/) > [“The story ‘Good Old Neon’ invokes two conundrums from mathematical logic, the Berry and Russell paradoxes, to describe a psychological double bind that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ryerson/the-story-good-old-neon-invokes-two-conundrums-from-mathematical/) [James Ryerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ryerson/) > [I'm into paradoxes. I wanted to make an album about them, but the group told me I was a pretentious fart. 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For instance: that when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/the-next-day-when-i-was-sober-i-thought-again-about-the-three-of-us/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [I would rather be a man of paradoxes than a man of prejudices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/i-would-rather-be-a-man-of-paradoxes-than-a-man-of-prejudices/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [“And while we may never be able to wrap our minds around the thing itself, it is by the power of a story that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-fisher/and-while-we-may-never-be-able-to-wrap-our-minds-around-the-thing/) [Casey Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-fisher/) ## More by Bernard Williams > [People have been predicting the death of philosophy since the 17th century. When I was a student, people were saying, 'We're in the last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-williams/people-have-been-predicting-the-death-of-philosophy-since-the-17th/) [Bernard Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-williams/) > [A friend is a lot of things, but a critic isn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-williams/a-friend-is-a-lot-of-things-but-a-critic-isn-t/) [Bernard Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-williams/) > [This is the end of the day, but soon there will be a new day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-williams/this-is-the-end-of-the-day-but-soon-there-will-be-a-new-day/) [Bernard Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-williams/) > [Tranquility is like quicksilver. The harder you grab for it, the less likely you will grasp it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-williams/tranquility-is-like-quicksilver-the-harder-you-grab-for-it-the-less/) [Bernard Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-williams/) > [If there's one theme in all my work, it's about authenticity and self-expression. 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So I went to Oxford to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-williams/virtually-the-only-subject-in-which-one-could-ever-get-a-scholarship/) [Bernard Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-williams/) > [The average man will bristle if you say his father was dishonest, but he will brag a little if he discovers that his great-grandfather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-williams/the-average-man-will-bristle-if-you-say-his-father-was-dishonest-but/) [Bernard Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-williams/) > [No symphony orchestra ever played music like a two-year-old girl laughing with a puppy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-williams/no-symphony-orchestra-ever-played-music-like-a-two-year-old-girl/) [Bernard Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-williams/) > [We may pass violets looking for roses. We may pass contentment looking for victory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-williams/we-may-pass-violets-looking-for-roses-we-may-pass-contentment-looking/) [Bernard Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-williams/) [Explore all 44 Bernard Williams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-williams/) ## More General quotes > [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [Disability, in general, hasn't been included in the conversation about inclusivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-winston-george/disability-in-general-hasn-t-been-included-in-the-conversation-about/) [Jason Winston George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-winston-george/) > [I've never had a couch that needed to be cleaned or learned how to couch-clean in general. 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