10 Quotes That Are Really, Actually Ironic
“Irony” is one of those terms that people seem to understand intuitively, though it can be difficult to define exactly. Just ask Alanis Morissette, whose 1996 hit song “Ironic” has been lambasted by just about every exacting literary type and high school English teacher because the situations she describes in her lyrics are more “unfortunate” than “ironic.” (Rain on your wedding day is also considered good luck by some, so not that unfortunate after all.)
Irony, in simple terms, is when a situation results in something that is different from or opposite to what was intended, or something contradictory happens that flies in the face of what everyone expected. Examples include a firehouse that burns down while the firefighters are out on a job, or a pilot who’s afraid of heights.
More than being unexpected, though, ironic situations are also often laced with a twinge of humor: No matter how surprising the outcome, there tends to be a sense of “c’est la vie” that comes with the territory. Ironic statements, too, are hardly ever meant to be taken too seriously; irony helps us recognize the contradictions of being a human in this world, and there’s nothing more humbling than that. So with the warmest regards to Ms. Morissette and her non-ironic “Ironic” lyrics, here are 11 quotes from famous thinkers, writers, and beyond that really, actually are ironic.
