“When we can no longer change things, we change words.”Luc de Vauvenargues · Reflecții și maxime · 1746 · Maxim 150
When reality remains unchanged, we resort to verbal reframing.
Vauvenargues points to a psychological defense mechanism: when unable to change a situation, people rewrite its meaning through language. A professional failure becomes 'a life lesson,' a loss turns into 'a door closing for another to open.' Words do not alter facts, but they change our emotional relationship with them. It is a subtle form of self-deception, sometimes necessary, sometimes dangerous.
Why it matters Today, when social media and public discourse overflow with euphemisms and rebranding, this maxim helps you distinguish between healthy adaptation and self-deception.