Definition and example of paradox

A paradox is a statement which seems contradictory yet suggests a truth.

An example of one can be found in John Donne's "Death Be Not Proud" in which the author states that death has no right to be proud, for it is merely a slave to wars, murder, accidents, etc. The poem goes on to say that while humans do not truly die but only experience a "short sleep" before eternity, death is the only thing to die once nothing is left (as everything else has already ascended to a higher state of existence).

The last line "Death; thou shalt die" in this classic poem is a paradox.