From the story ‘The Maggies’ in ‘American Splendor’ by Harvey Pekar –
Harvey: (Detecting untruthfulness) When you talk about dishonest men, do you have to be dishonest?
Interviewee: (Shrugging) Why not? Even Socrates was dishonest…
Harvey: (Confronting) Socrates?? What does he have to do with it?
Interviewee: (As-a-matter-of-factly) Socrates said all men are dishonest, so even he was dishonest!
Harvey: (Frowning and thinking)…
That’s the problem with absolute generalisations, sweeping statements…
So was Socrates’ statement that all men are dishonest true?
It it was, does it make him an honest man?
It it does, does that make him dishonest that all men are dishonest?
It it does, is he really honest or dishonest?
So… are all men really honest or dishonest?
That was a trick question, that assumes all men have to be either honest or dishonest!
Some (wo)men are (dis)honest at times,
while some are (dis)honest most of the time,
while some are (dis)honest all of the time.
(Actually, the last seems like an impossible feat.)
There is only a trio of generalisations about the universe that are timelessly true
(The Three Universal Characteristics; the Three Marks of Existence) –
1. Anicca: Physical and mental phenomena are in constant change
2. Dukkha: Dissatisfactions arise when that of Anicca is clung to as non-Anicca, when that of Anatta is seen as non-Anatta.
3. Anatta: There is no substantial self-nature in phenomena subject to Anicca and Dukkha
Realise the above fully and one attains Nirvana,
that is non-Anicca (lasting) liberation from Dukkha; True Happiness.