Two-Sides To Every Story Quotes For Seeing From New Perspectives

Get some new perspective with our two sides to every story quotes. 

Our world is probably more polarized than it has been in a long time. 

Remembering that there is more than one side to any situation would allow for more empathy and understanding. 

Let’s explore more with our two sides to every story quotes below. 

What does the phrase, ‘there are two sides to every story mean?’

There are two sides to every story is an American idiom that means it is always worth listening to or trying to understand both opposing perspectives of a situation. 

No two people will ever see any situation in the same way. 

When we are presented with information, we create meaning out of it, and the meaning becomes our story. 

When we disagree or do not see eye to eye, we should consider the following “truths”: 

• The facts of the situation
• What you perceive to be true in a situation
• What the other person perceives to be true in a situation

The meaning behind the phrase there are two sides to every story should not be taken literally. 

Canadian comedian Mort Sahl once summed it up in the following way: 

“This matter of two sides to every question is bad logic and bad practice: sometimes there are no sides; sometimes there are a hundred.” 

The idea behind the phrase reminds us that there are always multiple sides to every situation. 

What is bothsidesism? 

When people disagree or do not see a situation through a similar lens, we are taught to hear from both sides. 

Bothsidesism is the presentation of ideas as equal in value without accounting for the strength of the arguments. 

Most challenging topics require context to understand. 

The reversal of abortion rights in America is a great example. 

Simply reporting or sharing that a law was reversed is hardly efficient enough to give the public a deep understanding of what that law change means. 

The below questions provide context for someone receiving the information:

• Who precipitated the change?
• What is the reasoning for this change? 
• Who does this law impact the most?
• Did the people the law impacts have a say in the change? 

A journalist or speaker may provide data, dates, timelines, and additional context to answer these questions. 

For some, this is where bias may occur.

Why is it important to remember there are two sides to every story?

How we present information matters.

Compelling speakers, influential journalists, or your passionate friend you are debating may often quote both sides because complex issues require comprehensive understanding. 

If we remember that there are many sides to any story, it can help us gather more perspective for a deeper understanding of any topic. 

To learn more, check out our two sides to every story quotes below. 

Short two-sides to every story quotes about duality

These short quotes only need a few words to show how our reality is multi-faceted. 

1. “There are two sides to every question.” — Protagoras

2. “Be truthful. Nature only sides with truth.” — Adolf Loos

3, “Wisdom accepts that all things have two sides.” — Carl Jung

4. “Devil and God—two sides of the same face.” — Dejan Stojanovic

5. “In seeking truth, you have to get both sides of a story.” — Walter Cronkite

6. “I think the two sides to me are the same as two sides to anybody.” — Erol Alkan

7. “There are two sides, two players. One is light; the other is dark.” — John Locke

8. “No matter how flat you make your pancakes, it still has two sides.” — Daniel Tosh

9. “There’s always two sides to the coin if you have the patience to see.” — Kathryn Budig

10. “Only there’s two sides to every story, you know. You just remember that.” — Wally Lamb

The top two sides to every story quotes and sayings 

Below are some beautiful observations about the many sides to everything we experience. 

11. “Madness and genius are two sides to the same coin.” — John Hendy

12. “Every truth has two sides; it is as well to look at both before we commit ourselves to either.” — Aesop

13. “There is nothing that exists that has only one side. Even a piece of paper, thin as it is, has two sides.” — Terry Goodkind

14. “There are two sides to every issue: one side is right, and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil.” — Ayn Rand

15. “People have two sides, a good side and a bad side, a past, a future. We must embrace both in someone we love.” — Angelina Jolie

16. “There are two sides to increasing energy. One is avoiding loss. The other is learning how to gain energy.” — Frederick Lenz

17. “Standing in the middle of the road is very dangerous; you get knocked down by the traffic from both sides.” — Margaret Thatcher

18. “Life consists of two sides; light and dark, joy and sorrow. Without a balance, one cannot fully experience a full and well-rounded life.” — JoAnn Ross

19. “We have two eyes to see two sides of things, but there must be a third eye which will see everything at the same time and yet not see anything. That is to understand Zen.” — D.T. Suzuki

20. “Success and failure are two edges of the same blade, two sides of the same coin. To fear one is to forever deny the possibility of the other.” — Michelle Sagara

Two-Sides to Every Story quotes from Dyan Cannon’s collaboration with Willie Nelson

Two-Sides to Every Story is a beautiful country song by singer Dyan Cannon from the Honey Suckle Rose soundtrack. 

21. “I miss you more.” — Dyan Cannon, Two-Sides to Every Story

22. “There must be two sides to every story.” — Dyan Cannon, Two-Sides to Every Story

23. “I miss you more than I could ever tell you.” — Dyan Cannon, Two-Sides to Every Story 

24. “I just wish I had a chance to tell you mine.” — Dyan Cannon, Two-Sides to Every Story 

25. “How can we both be right when you’re still gone.” — Dyan Cannon, Two-Sides to Every Story 

26. “And whose to say whose right and who is wrong.” — Dyan Cannon, Two-Sides to Every Story 

27. “And I’m tryin’ to understand why you’re not with me.” — Dyan Cannon, Two-Sides to Every Story 

28. “And we’ve hurt each other more than we could know.” — Dyan Cannon, Two-Sides to Every Story 

29. “Come on home and tell me yours; I love you so.” — Dyan Cannon, Two-Sides to Every Story 

30. “It’s hard to believe that it’s all over a love like ours is not supposed to die.” — Dyan Cannon, Two-Sides to Every Story 

Two-sides to every story quotes about seeing from a different perspective

These quotes highlight the power of seeing from another’s point of view. 

31. “Peace and justice are two sides of the same coin.” — Dwight D. Eisenhower

32. “It’s well known there’s always two sides if no more.” — George Eliot

33. “All sides in a trial want to hide at least some of the truth.” — Alan Dershowitz

34. “The purpose of a good education is to show you that there are three sides to a two-sided story.” — Stanley Fish

35. “We view things not only from different sides but with different eyes; we have no wish to find them alike.” — Blaise Pascal

36. “Form and function are a unity, two sides of one coin. In order to enhance function, appropriate form must exist or be created.” — Ida Rolf

37. “Always remember, me dear, whether you’re listening to a tale or telling one: Every penny piece that’s struck has two sides to it.” — E. M. Delafield

38. “Sometimes good and evil aren’t so much opposites as two sides of a coin. You toss it one way, and it looks good; another way, and it’s evil. Sometimes, it just depends on which end of the gun you’re on.” — Laurell K. Hamilton

39. “Faith and science, I have learned, are two sides of the same coin, separated by an expanse so small but wide enough that one side can’t see the other. They don’t know they are connected.” — Mary E. Pearson

40. “Wonder and despair are two sides of a spinning coin. When you open yourself to one, you open yourself to the other. You discover a capacity for joy that wasn’t in you before. Wonder is the promise of restoration: as deeply as you dive, so may you rise.” — Christina Baldwin

The best two-sides to every story quotes about everyone’s different dimensions

These quotes remind us that we are all multi-dimensional.

41. “Like everybody, I have many different sides.” — Juliette Lewis

42. “Humor is the ability to see three sides to one coin.” — Ned Rorem

43. “I have a whole other side that has yet to be seen on screen.” — Wesley Snipes

44. “I love all sides of the work, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t hard.” — David McCullough

45. “It takes two sides to make a deal, two sides to negotiate, and two sides to make it go bad.” — Gary Bettman

46. “People have two sides, and a person first becomes appealing when you discover both of those sides – and worlds work exactly the same way.” — Mamoru Hosoda

47. “This matter of two sides to every question is bad logic and bad practice: sometimes there are no sides; sometimes there are a hundred.” — Mort Sahl

48. “Any woman who has a career and a family automatically develops something in the way of two personalities, like two sides of a dollar bill, each different in design. Her problem is to keep one from draining the life from the other.” — Ivy Baker Priest

49. “We all have at least two sides. The world we live in is a world of opposites. And the trick is to reconcile those opposing things. I’ve always liked both sides. In order to appreciate one, you have to know the other.” — David Lynch

50. “You create this character conflicted between two sides, because drama is about the conflict of two things, between your duty and your will, between what you want and what you can’t have. It is all conflict between two things, and this is why you put your character in a place where you can visualize the conflict.” — Hany Abu-Assad

How can remembering there are two sides to everything benefit us? 

It is vital to remember that the phrase there are two sides to every story only works if the parties involved apply themselves to holding their integrity and honesty. 

The phrase does not always work well when any individual involved comes from a place of dishonesty. 

If we remember that our truth is valuable, we can also appreciate the need for others to live their truth. 

Our perspective or view will not always apply to everyone else we meet. 

Keeping in mind that the sides others’ choose to have worth is a great mindset to have when dealing with conflict. 

If we respect the position of others, we can make a choice not to take things personally when someone else disagrees with us. 

Hearing different points of view is excellent practice for us to question our beliefs and get to the root of what we believe. 

It may take practice and mindfulness, but learning to see the value in another’s perspective strengthens our position. 

Do you have a favorite two sides to every story quote?

Please, be sure to let us know in the comments below.