The Art of Quoting Oneself

And the consequences that follow...

The best way to promote your opinions and start general revolutions is to quote yourself. Here are a few of my most quotable moments.

This quote needs to be heard by everyone. -Ben Irwin

I haven't put a good thought in words for decades.. - Ben Irwin

Abraham Lincoln once said: - Ben Irwin

I never quote myself. - Ben Irwin

Write this down and never forget it - Ben Irwin

This quote really means alot to me - Ben Irwin

Alot of people like to quote Keats, Shakespeare, or Thoreau when expressing their knowledge of literature, but I like to use this quote - Ben Irwin

The best way to promote your opinions and start general revolutions is to quote yourself - Ben Irwin

Here are a few of my most quotable moments - Ben Irwin

What should my next quote be? - Ben Irwin

How about this. - Ben Irwin

Ok, stop taking my quotes seriously. - Ben Irwin

Might I point out that the last quote there raises an interesting paradox for the thinking man. By telling the listen or reader to "stop taking my quotes seriously" I put them in a particularly curious bind. For if they take that statement seriously, they will indeed proceed to stop taking my quotes seriously-- but at the same time breaking the very demand I had issued! Conversely, if they see through the ruse and take the quote as jest-- then they will be forced by its opposition to, in fact, take the quote seriously, a rule that they have already violated! There is no winner here.

The recipient of my quote finds themselves in the midst of a simple Grelling-Nelson Paradox. Not to run in the opposite direction of my original post but a quick anecdote from our deceased friend the Earl Betrand Russell can help us understand what's happening:

Suppose there is a town with just one male barber; and that every man in the town keeps himself clean-shaven: some by shaving themselves, some by attending the barber. It seems reasonable to imagine that the barber obeys the following rule: He shaves all and only those men in town who do not shave themselves.

Under this scenario, we can ask the following question: Does the barber shave himself? Asking this, however, we discover that the situation presented is in fact impossible:

1. If the barber does not shave himself, he must abide by the rule and shave himself.
2. If he does shave himself, according to the rule he will not shave himself.

A contradiction in terms!! It is a self-referencing clause-- in word and deed, it is not possible for the barber to exist. Using the same logic, we can determine that there is no possible way for my quotes to exist. My quotes don't exist!

My quotes don't exist. - Ben Irwin