I was thinking the other day of phrases which family, friends and colleagues have used in the past and have stuck with me. I'm sure there are more, but these come to mind;
From my maternal grandfather.
"Treat people the way you wish to be treated yourself".
From a close family friend about ambition.
"A wee fire gives you a heat, a big fire burns you".
And the old well-known cliche from a former colleague.
"The more that folk tell me I'm right, the more I think I must be wrong".
Chuck in "Trust no one" and you should just about get by.
Quote from: The Picnic Wasp on April 08, 2023, 11:24:57 AMAnd the old well-known cliche from a former colleague.
"The more that folk tell me I'm right, the more I think I must be wrong".
There's a corollary of this, of course - the more that people tell me I'm wrong, the more I think I must be right. And certainly I've seen some truth in that one.
Great idea for a thread.
Just listened to Viktor Frankl's 'Man Search for Meaning', his harrowing yet optimistic book on his time in various concentration camps in Nazi Germany. A rich book for deep quotes and I may come back to it but one that really chimed with me was
"Those who have a 'why' to live can bear almost any 'how'."
A little less deep perhaps but my French aunt used to always say to me when presenting me with some treat or other -
'Ca ce mange sans faim' - you don't need to be hungry to eat this
Quote from: The Picnic Wasp on April 08, 2023, 11:24:57 AMFrom my maternal grandfather.
"Treat people the way you wish to be treated yourself".
AKA The Golden Rule. :)
I also like what's known as The Silver Rule:
don't treat others the way you
wouldn't wish to be treated.
Another two from the friend mentioned above;
"He's a big man, but a wee suit fits him".
And about alcohol (which he enjoyed immensely).
"One drink's fine. Two's too many and three's not enough".
Just to play devil's advocate on the treat others etc. Obviously it depends on the situation but people are different with different personalities so what works for one person may not for another
Quote from: Matt2112 on April 08, 2023, 03:55:39 PMQuote from: The Picnic Wasp on April 08, 2023, 11:24:57 AMFrom my maternal grandfather.
"Treat people the way you wish to be treated yourself".
AKA The Golden Rule. :)
I also like what's known as The Silver Rule: don't treat others the way you wouldn't wish to be treated.
The Golden Rule from your old friend Matt 7:12 😉
A couple of my own:
A friend in need is a friend no longer.
A problem shared is an invitation to blackmail.
I can't pretend a stranger is a long awaited friend.
Begging hands and bleeding hearts will only cry out for more.
Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise.
What's for you won't go by you..
Quote from: dom on April 08, 2023, 04:29:47 PMJust to play devil's advocate on the treat others etc. Obviously it depends on the situation but people are different with different personalities so what works for one person may not for another
Indeed, that's why the "Silver Rule" might actually be preferable.
Who steals my purse steals trash.......
It's so easy to be smart but it's a struggle to be wise
Don't feel upset when criticized by someone you'd never accept advice from.
I like how common aphorisms can be in conflict:
Many hands make light work - but too many cooks spoil the broth;
A bad workman blames his tools - but you can only play with the hand you're dealt;
Great minds think alike - but fools seldom differ.
Never eat yellow snow
There's a lot of discussion on the agriculture over here now. Farmer's Defense Force is an actual organized group here and the Farmers Party won big time in the elections some weeks ago.
A lot of complaints are heard from that group on, well basically everything.
My grandmother, who came from a farmer's family, always told me: as long as a farmer complaints they do well. It is once they stop complaining you need to start worrying.
Never a lender or a borrower be...
The early bird catches the worm - but the second mouse gets the cheese.
Jack of all trades master of none
From my solicitor cousin.
Think coincidence, not conspiracy.
Quote from: The Picnic Wasp on April 22, 2023, 10:44:58 AMFrom my solicitor cousin.
Think coincidence, not conspiracy.
Sound advice certainly in these times