Never say never

Definition

An expression meaning one should not declare something impossible or rule out future possibilities, as circumstances can change unexpectedly.

Etymology

This phrase gained popularity in the 20th century, though similar sentiments appear in earlier literature. It became widely known through its use as a James Bond film title in 1983, though the concept of avoiding absolute statements has philosophical roots dating back to ancient skepticism.

Kelly Says

The phrase embodies a fascinating paradox - it's literally telling someone to 'never' say 'never,' creating a self-referential loop that philosophers call a performative contradiction. This linguistic quirk makes it memorable while highlighting the inherent difficulty of making absolute statements about the future.

Translations

AMአማርኛ
永不說永不說
yong bu shuo yong bu shuo
ARالعربية
لا تقول أبداً أبداً
la ta-qoul ab-dan ab-dan
BNবাংলা
কখনো কখনো কখনো বলো না
khok-kno khok-kno khok-kno bol-o na
CACatalà
ja mai dir mai
ja mai dir mai
CSČeština
nikdy neříkej nikdy
nik-dy neh-ree-kej nik-dy
DADansk
sige aldrig nogensinde
see-geh al-vrig noh-gen-sin-deh
DEDeutsch
Sag niemals nie
zahg ni-mals nee
ELΕλληνικά
δεν πεις ποτέ ποτέ
den pees po-teh po-teh
ESEspañol
nunca digas nunca
n'kwen-kah dee-gas n'kwen-kah
FAفارسی
هرگز هرگز نگفت
har-gaz har-gaz negaft
FISuomi
älä sano koskaan koskaan
al-e san-o ko-skan ko-skan
FRFrançais
jamais ne dites jamais
zhah-mah neh dee-teh zhah-mah
GUGU
કેમકેમ કહેશે નહીં
kem-kem keh-she na-heem
HAHA
ba'a ba'a ba'a
ba-a ba-a ba-a
HEעברית
לעולם לא תאמר לעולם לא
le-olam lo ta-mer le-olam lo
HIहिन्दी
कभी कभी मत कहो
kabhi kabhi mat kah-ho
HUMagyar
sose mondd sose
so-se mond so-se
IDBahasa Indonesia
jangan pernah katakan tidak pernah
jangan per-neh ka-ta-kan ti-dak per-neh
IGIG
never say never
never say never
ITItaliano
non dire mai mai
non dee-reh mah mah
JA日本語
決して決してない
kesshite kesshite nai
KKKK
әлдеме әлдеме деп
al-de-me al-de-me dep
KMKM
ក្លាយជា ក្លាយជា មិនបានទេ
klay-zhea klay-zhea min bahn teh
KO한국어
절대 절대 안 한다
jeol-dae jeol-dae an han-da
MRMR
कधीकधी म्हणू नका
ka-dhi-ka-dhi mhon-noo na-ka
MSBahasa Melayu
jangan pernah katakan tidak pernah
jangan per-neh ka-ta-kan ti-dak per-neh
MYမြန်မာ
အကြိမ်ကြိမ် မပြောကြ
ah-kye-im-kye-im mah-pyao-kye
NLNederlands
zegt nooit nooit
zegt noit noit
NONorsk
sikkert aldri si
sikkert al-dri si
PAPA
ਕਦੇ ਕਦੇ ਨਾ ਕਹੋ
kad-e kad-e na ka-ho
PLPolski
nigdy nie mów nigdy
nig-dy nee moh nik-dy
PTPortuguês
nunca diga nunca
n'kwen-kah dee-gah n'kwen-kah
RORomână
nu spune niciodată niciodată
noo spoon-teh nyo-koh-dah nyo-koh-dah
RUРусский
никогда не говори никогда
nikogda ne govo-ree nikogda
SVSvenska
säg aldrig någonsin
say al-vrig nah-gohn-sin
SWKiswahili
kamwe kamwe usiseme kamwe kamwe
kam-we kam-we oo-si-se-meh kam-we kam-we
TAதமிழ்
ஒருநாள் ஒருநாள் இல்லை
oru-nal oru-nal il-lai
TEతెలుగు
కখনీనీ చెప్పకండి
khak-nee-nee chepp-a-kan-di
THไทย
อย่าพูดว่าไม่เคย
ya pood wa mai koey
TLTL
huwag kailanman sabihin kailanman
hu-wag kai-lan-man sa-bi-hin kai-lan-man
TRTürkçe
asla asla deme
as-la as-la deh-meh
UKУкраїнська
ніколи не кажи ніколи
ni-koli ne ka-zhi ni-koli
URاردو
کبھی کبھی نہ کہو
kabhi kabhi nah kah-o
VITiếng Việt
không bao giờ nói không bao giờ
khong bao gio noi khong bao gio
YOYO
ko ni pe
ko ni pe
ZH中文
永远不要说永远不要
yǒngyuǎn bù yào shuō yǒngyuǎn bù yào
ZUZU
ngingas' ngingas'
ngingas' ngingas'

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.