{"id":9091,"date":"2022-09-11T17:11:51","date_gmt":"2022-09-11T17:11:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=9091"},"modified":"2022-09-11T17:12:02","modified_gmt":"2022-09-11T17:12:02","slug":"ours-is-not-to-reason-why-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/ours-is-not-to-reason-why-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Ours is not to Reason Why \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Did a colleague say <strong><em>\u2018ours is not to reason why\u2019 <\/em><\/strong>after you asked them why management is making changes at work? This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n<h2>Meaning<\/h2>\n<p>The expression <em>\u2018ours is not to reason why\u2019<\/em> is the <u>shortened version<\/u> of <em>\u2018ours is not to reason why. Ours is to do and die.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n<p>This proverbial saying means <u>it\u2019s not your place to question orders, processes, or requests.<\/u> Instead, you must <u>cooperate without question, even if there is a threat to your life or a potentially bad outcome.<\/u><\/p>\n<h2>Example Usage<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThe government is telling everyone they need to conserve energy this winter, but they don\u2019t tell us the full story of the extent of the problem. I guess ours is not to reason why, and we all need to toe the line.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSoldiers go off to war every day to fight for their country, without even understanding that they are hired killers carrying out the demands of a ruthless regime. I suppose ours is not to reason why.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy do we have to comply with these mandates? I thought we lived in a free country. I guess Tennyson was right. \u2018Ours is not to reason why ours is to do and die. These people don\u2019t care about us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy is everyone \u2018supporting the current thing\u2019 with Ukraine? We\u2019re sending billions in weapons to them that get stolen while Americans sleep in tents on the street. Ours is not to reason why.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOurs is not to reason why. Ours is to do and die. Go ahead, listen to your leaders and elite. They\u2019ll run your right off the cliff and laugh while doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-9093\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Ours-is-not-to-Reason-Why.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"156\" height=\"156\" srcset=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Ours-is-not-to-Reason-Why.jpg 156w, https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Ours-is-not-to-Reason-Why-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Ours-is-not-to-Reason-Why-120x120.jpg 120w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 156px) 100vw, 156px\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9094\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Ours-is-not-to-Reason-Why2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"297\" height=\"140\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Origin<\/h2>\n<p>The expression \u2018ours is not to reason why\u2019 is the shortened version of the full saying \u2018ours is not to reason why ours is to do and die,\u2019 first coined by AL Tennyson in 1854. The poem \u2018The Charge of the Light Brigade\u2019 described one of the greatest blunders in British Military history during the Crimean war in October 1854.<\/p>\n<p>Tennyson, a Poet Laureate for 42 years, penned the poem in response to the event. The work refers to the British Light Cavalry Brigade, comprised of approximately 670 soldiers, charging into battle against 25,000 Russians with the intent of seizing weapons stolen from Turkish forces. The confrontation resulted in the British troops being heavily outnumbered.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Charge of the Light Brigade (An Epic Poem from History)\" width=\"512\" height=\"288\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/oDvMd_UqnuU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Phrases Similar to Ours is not to Reason Why<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Don\u2019t ask questions.<\/li>\n<li>Ask no questions, hear no lies.<\/li>\n<li>Do what you\u2019re told.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Phrases Opposite to Ours is not to Reason Why<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Question everything.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Ours is not to reason why.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Ways People May Say Ours is not to Reason Why Incorrectly<\/h2>\n<p>Some people may use 'our is not to reason why' to avoid hard conversations around topics. Typically, people don't like being outside of their comfort zone, and they will submit to authority when they don't know what to do in life.<\/p>\n<p>\"ours is not to reason why\" is the shortened version of \"ours is not to reason why ours is to do and die.\" However, most people leave out the second part of the expression when saying it aloud.<\/p>\n<h2>Acceptable Ways to Phrase Ours is not to Reason Why<\/h2>\n<p>You can use the expression 'ours is not to reason why' when you have to comply with orders without any argument, protest, or inquiry into the instructions. It means you don't question authority, even if you feel the demands or requested actions violate your code of ethics or your thoughts on the matter.<\/p>\n<p>The phrase suits social and professional use. If your partner asks you why the government is conducting a reckless health policy. You could reply with 'ours is not to reason why' to say that you don't have any medical experience and your opinion doesn't matter in the grand scheme. Use it at work when a colleague asks you why you think the management is changing the procedure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-2\">Did a colleague say \u2018ours is not to reason why\u2019 after you asked them why management is making changes at work? This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression. Meaning The expression \u2018ours is not to reason why\u2019 is the shortened version of \u2018ours is not to reason why. Ours is to do [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9091"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9091"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9091\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9096,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9091\/revisions\/9096"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}