The work went slowly at first; but after a little while I found I
could pick out a maxim and turn almost instinctively to one that
directly contradicted it. The occupation is fascinating as well as
instructive. It sheds a new light on the conditions of human knowledge
and the workings of the human mind. Consider, if you will, the following
half-dozen sentences that I succeeded in compiling in less than ten
minutes. They all deal with the question of a woman's age:
"A woman is as old as she looks.
"A woman is as old as she says.
"A woman is as old as she would like to be.
"A woman is as old as the only man that counts would have her be.
"A woman is as old as any particular situation requires.
"A woman is as old as her dearest woman friends say she is."
Let any one read these maxims to himself quietly, and admit that not
only would each of them impress him as true if found standing by itself,
but that they all ring quite as true when taken together. But that is by
no means all. It may be shown that if all these propositions are true,
taken singly or together, the negative of each and all of these
propositions is also true.
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