Line #26 Main/BeCarefulWhatYouSay


1	In olden times, [[InnocentBystander ordinary people]] would be very careful what they said because [[ThePowerOfLanguage words have power]]. Literally. You didn't have to be a priest, oracle or wizard to cast spells with words, anyone, ''anyone'' could potentially [[RealityWarper make something happen just by saying so]].
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3	The reasons are both supernatural and mundane. Lending weight to the proverb "you're only as good as your word", you have [[IGaveMyWord an obligation to follow through on your promises]], lest you face [[TheOathBreaker social]] (or even [[MagicallyBindingContract supernatural]]) consequences. This is why there is nothing more dangerous than making [[ThePromise promises]] lightly (even [[ImpossibleTask impossible ones]]). Firstly, some fool hero ''will'' complete the task and since your word is binding you'll be compelled to keep your promise. The other is because you are ''never'' alone... someone or some''[[TheFairFolk thing]]'' will be listening, and may well decide to give you [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor exactly what you wish for]]. More than one such tales starts because someone said something they shouldn't have, or started making [[DisproportionateRetribution very]] [[BreakTheHaughty ill advised]] [[{{Pride}} boasts]].
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5	Speaking in the heat of the moment is doubly dangerous, it's not uncommon for {{Curse}}s to be cast this way to everyone's sorrow. On the other end of the spectrum, taking a vow of silence and undertaking some task or penance can break a curse.
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7	Works using this trope will often discuss ThePowerOfLanguage.
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9	SuperTrope to:
10	* AccidentalIncantation
11	* AdviceBackfire
12	* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor
13	* BlackSpeech
14	* IKnowYourTrueName
15	* JokeAndReceive
16	* LiteralGenie
17	* ThePromise
18	* RhetoricalRequestBlunder
19	* TheScottishTrope
20	* SpeakOfTheDevil
21	* TemptingFate
22	* ThreatBackfire
23	* WordsCanBreakMyBones
24	* WordPower
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26	----
27	!!Examples not otherwise included in a subtrope:
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29	[[AC: Comics]]
30	* In a spin-off book of the ''ComicBook/{{WITCH}}'' comics, Taranee's brother, who's been spending lots of time with his girlfriend instead of her, ends up showing up much too late to see a basket game with her favorite team like he promised. She refuses to buy his (heavily implied to be true) excuses about car trouble and snaps that she wishes he'd just disappear. She immediately regrets those words because, as a Guardian of the Veil, her words have ''a lot'' of power.
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32	[[AC:Fairy Tales]]
33	* In ''Literature/JesperWhoHerdedTheHares'', Jesper's brothers lied about what they were carrying to the old woman. They thought. When they got to the castle, they found they were carrying what they had said.
34	* In ''Literature/WhuppityStoorie'', the woman says she will give the green gentlewoman anything she wants in return for saving her pig. What she wants, it turns out, is the baby.
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36	[[AC:Films -- Animated]]
37	* ''WesternAnimation/TheManyAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh'': In the "Tigger Too!" segment when Tigger is stuck in a tree, he accidentally utters the following line which Rabbit overhears, resulting in a HeroicBSOD once he's freed.
38	-->'''Tigger:''' If I ever get out of this, I promise never to bounce again. Never!\
39	'''Rabbit:''' I heard that, Tigger!
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41	[[AC:Literature]]
42	* ''Literature/SoulMusic:'' In a moment of passion, aspiring musician Imp y Celyn swears to the world that one day soon everyone will say he was the greatest musician the world has ever seen. Unfortunately, Imp didn't consider the full meaning of meeting the conditions of "soon" and "''was''", and something hears him that's only too happy to oblige. Something that knows a lot about the phrase "live fast, die young"...
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44	[[AC:Music]]
45	* ExactWords in Johnny Rivers' "Secret Agent Man." The following line? "You'll give yourself away."
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47	[[AC:Video Games]]
48	* ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3'' features no shortage of curses applied to hapless folk, sometimes entirely by accident. In-universe, strong feelings and words are enough for any idiot to put some sort of curse on another idiot. Though it ''usually'' requires something like seriously betrayal leading to death or the like for a curse to happen all spur-of-the-moment. Even in-universe, no one is entirely sure of ''how'' such a thing happens, but Witchers like [[PlayerCharacter Geralt]] are proficient at breaking them.
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50	[[AC:Webcomics]]
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52	* ''Webcomic/FoxesInLove'': [[https://twitter.com/foxes_in_love/status/1206775517480988673 In this comic]], Blue gets a lantern... which explodes as soon as he mentions he got it because it's pretty, as the instructions say it's not meant to be used decoratively. Apparently, the lantern can tell whether it's going to be kept hidden in a closet, or displayed on a shelf.
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54	[[AC:Web Original]]
55	* At some point in ''Series/{{Noob}}'' [[CasanovaWannabe Valentin]] tries to pick up a girl in {{MMORPG}} by telling her "I bet you're a bomb in real life". The girl in question is a MadBomber in-game, and not interested at all.
56	* The ''Website/SCPFoundation'' has the concept of an [[http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/system:page-tags/tag/infohazard#pages infohazard]], an SCP which causes a paranormal effect when it is referenced or described. Many of those effects are dangerous, and Foundation personnel have to be very careful when speaking or writing about them.
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58	[[AC:Western Animation]]
59	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'': In one of Marcy’s flashback, during one of her shenanigans created by her clumsiness, Sasha casually says that “One of these days, she’s gonna get herself killed” if she’s not careful at what she’s doing, with Anne finding her claims very offensive as she hears it. [[spoiler:Come Season 2 Finale, “True Colors”, Marcy is stabbed in the back by Andrias’ giant LaserBlade, because she is making sure that Anne and the Plantars are sent to Earth safely, nearly dying in the process because of it.]]
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