We Are Family

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We Are Family

I’m aware of this concept of a found family in lesfic, which, if I’m not mistaken, means that family is a broader term than one’s blood relatives. I can totally get behind that because so many in the LGBTQ+ family have to rely on their found family for support. But that’s not really what this blog is about. I’m getting a little off track after reading a very interesting story about the saying, “Blood is thicker than water.” The fascinating thing I learned about this saying is that the original quote means exactly the opposite, implying that found family is more important, as evidenced by the original quote, “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.” Yes, that original quote was all about found family, stating that a chosen blood covenant was stronger than the bond of any family. That got me thinking about what other quotes have been misconstrued over the years or selectively plucked from a much longer quote. Here are the biggies:

“The early bird gets the worm” was shortened from the original quote, which was “The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.” The full quote suggests that being first isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.“Carpe Diem” is another famous quote that was shortened from “Carpe diem quam minimum credula postero.” For those who didn’t take Latin, it translates to, seize the day, put very little trust in tomorrow. While it doesn’t exactly mean the opposite, it does add even more gravity to the saying. A bit more depressing, don’t you think?“Winning isn’t everything,” also added the “It’s the only thing.” This completely changes how most people have interpreted this saying, which was used to soothe the losing team.The Shakespearean quote “Now is the winter of our discontent” seems to suggest something cold and bleak, but the full quote adds “made glorious summer of this sun of York,” suggesting the tides are turning and the bleak times are in the past.This one is my favorite… “Curiosity killed the cat,” which is incomplete when the famous quote deletes the remainder of the full quote, “but satisfaction brought it back.”“Great minds think alike” is another quote that has an opposite meaning when adding “though fools seldom differ.” Ouch. Kind of reminds me of all the MAGA fools.“Money is the root of all evil.” The full quote is subtly different. “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evils.” Basically, the problem isn’t having money; it’s the desire for it.“Jack of all trades, master of none” is incomplete and means something different when one adds “though oftentimes better than master of one.” The addition actually brings the quote back to its original form, which was simply “Jack of all trades,” intended as a compliment, versus the addition of “master of none,” which turned the phrase into something negative.“My country, right or wrong” is a distorted, shortened version of the original quote from Carl Schurz, an American Senator in 1872. The actual quote was “My country right or wrong, if right to be kept right; and if wrong to be set right.” I’m guessing we are going to have to do a whole hell of a lot of setting right after Trump leaves office!Another personal favorite, which to be fair, never evolved to a fuller quote that a mentor of mine used to say is “No good deed goes unpunished.” She always added, “But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t continue to do good deeds.” I’d like to make an official request to change that quote and add my mentor’s addition!

If I ever write a found family novel, I know exactly what to include in the novel. It makes sense to weave in the full quote of the blood of the covenant and provide an explanation. Surely, I’m not the only one who wasn’t aware of this! You’ll certainly find these little gems in most of my novels because I like to add trivia or tidbits that aren’t widely known. Want to check that out in my novels? Feel free to click the links below!

The Invisible Woman: A Lesbian Superhero Story

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