There’s What’s Right, And There’s What’s Right, and Never the Twain Shall Meet
There’s what’s right, and there’s what’s right, and never the twain shall meet is a Southernish quote from the 1987 Coen Brothers film Raising Arizona, meaning there’s moral right and there’s legal right-and they don’t always line up. Delivered in a slow, philosophical drawl, it sounds like old Southern wisdom but comes straight from Hollywood.
The way H.I. delivers the 'there's what's right' line, it sounds authentically Southern. The way H.I. delivers the 'there's what's right' line, it sounds authentically Southern. Pronunciation
thayrz wuts rahyt an NEV-er
thuh TWAYN shul MEET]
/ðɛrz wʌts raɪt ænd
ðɛrz wʌts raɪt ænd
ˈnɛvɚ ðə tweɪn ʃəl mit/
Meaning & Usage
- When moral right and legal right conflict (movie-born philosophy)
I know what’s legal-but is it right?Like he said-there’s what’s right, and there’s what’s right.Origin
The line comes from Raising Arizona (1987), written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Spoken by the narrator and ex-con H.I. McDunnough (Nicolas Cage), the quote captures the film’s blend of morality, absurdity, and homespun wisdom. The phrase twists the old English expression "never the twain shall meet," originally from Rudyard Kipling’s 1889 poem, giving it a Southern rhythm and a philosophical edge.
Though not a true Southern proverb, its tone-slow, deliberate, and moralizing-feels like something you’d hear on a porch at sunset. It’s one of those movie lines that Hollywood’s version of the South made famous: part genuine insight, part folksy exaggeration.
Verdict: Southernish. Not an authentic folk saying, but delivered with such a perfect Southern cadence that it’s often mistaken for one.
Notes
- Used when someone weighs moral conscience against law or practicality.
- Recognized primarily as a Raising Arizona quote rather than a folk saying.
- Fits a long Hollywood pattern of giving characters porch-philosopher charm.
- Sounds Southern due to rhythm, pacing, and tone-not dialect origin.
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