YOUR own personal life quote.

So I have had a few "sayings" I have come up with that I have been saying for as long as I can remember. I was wondering if you guys had a few original quotes that you say from time to time that kind of has an underlying "window" into who you are as a person.

I personally have 2
For as long as I can remember I have been saying
"Be so versatile you have something in common with everyone"
This was steamed from my thoughts on religion (that I wont get into) but it really has been deep seated in me for as long as I can remember.

and the other

"The fastest way to fail is to quit"
Obviously comes from the thought of quitting is not an option. and there are many variations I am sure But I really feel that having kids has taught me this through and through.

So what are yours. Do you have a personal life quote? Something you have been saying for a long long time and says a lot about you as a person?

Share...

Cheers
Jay

 

This is all I need in my life wrt personal philosopy. I've been toting and reciting parts of this most of my life.

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly, and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious
to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter, for always
there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment;
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore, be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.

And whatever your labors and aspirations
in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.​

 

Make more beer.

 

There is a difference between pride and arrogance. Which do you hold in your heart?

 

Great Brew & A: Andrew! You're 1 cool cat!

Cheers
Jay

 

Never drink more than enough.

 

I've been saying this as long as I can remember(over 40 years)

"The Bears Still Suck"

 

Pop taught us this one since we were little. I taught my kids this one as well. " you do what ya gotta do, it doesn't mean you have to like it"!

 

Is this a necessary risk or an unnecessary risk?

My 15 year old is tired of hearing that one, I think. He takes a lot of unnecessary risks, so it comes up often. But that's pretty normal for his age (both taking unnecessary risks and being annoyed with your parents, I mean).

 

A friend once asked me why I bother to train MMA if I'm not going to fight.

I said:
"Because life is a brawl waiting to happen and I'm not taking a loss".

I'm way older now but that one keeps me working the bag and exercising to this day. If you need proof of concept, just search "cheap shot" on youtube. Crazy the stuff that goes down in this world without provocation of any kind.

 

when in doubt knock em out

 

42

But I have a lot of recycled quotes from my father.

Only poem is:
Isn't it strange
That princes and kings
And clowns that caper in sawdust rings
And common folk like you and me
Are builders for eternity?
Each is given a bag of tools,
A shapeless mass
And a book of rules
And each must make
Ere life is flown
A stumbling block
Or a stepping stone.

 

Anything worth doing is worth doing right.

 

Great stuff guys! All good stuff! Thanks for sharing...

Cheers
Jay

 

Be careful what you say, you never know who is listening.

 

Amongst other things, I am a writer and poet, so have a few lines over the years that have rung deeply with me:

"For every statement of absolute fact, there is ALWAYS an exception."

Heh. Including that one. Always loved the circular math involved in a theorem proving to be true by being proven false. This is the core logic of a recurring theme - nothing is ever certain and acknowledge the possibilities.

"All roads leads to the Great Path. Many cross along the way."

I don't like organized religion. Everyone is seeking truth and meaning, so much confrontation could be avoided if everyone would just accept that we're all looking for (mostly) the same thing. Acceptance and tolerance is the core message here.

"Do not seek the devil that you do not wish to meet."

Think ahead about possible consequences of your choices....and where they will lead.

"Life is an adventure. If you don't see it as one, then you'll never have any fun."

The mantra that pulled me out of a serious midlife crisis that almost landed me in the hospital, and a daily reminder that life is meant for LIVING.

"Be aware of the fullness of what existence has to offer at any given moment and cloak yourself fully in the experience of it."

And if life is for living, then live it to the max!

"With the right will, something does not have to be possible for it to occur."

Choice and intent creates our reality in how we perceive our lives. Never listen to naysayers who tell you it can't be done. Almost every talented famous person was told at some point that they'd never make it - did they listen?

"There's more to me, more to the universe, than I ever suspected. Room for all the dreams I ever had, and all the nightmares...heroes in the gutters and in the mirror; saints in the frozen wasteland; fools and liars on the throne of wisdom, and hands reaching out in hunger that will never be filled... Anything becomes possible, after you find the courage to admit that nothing is certain."

That last one isn't one of mine. BZ Gundalinu says it in Joan D. Vinge's classic book "The Snow Queen". But it hit a chord way back in high school and has stuck with me ever since.

"Learn something new every day."

My grandfather's mantra that was drilled into me in elementary school and has served me quite well!

 

Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. (When doing projects or physical work.)

 

The one that I say to myself continually is ( life is good and getting Better ) it keeps the pessimistic side of me from taking over. lol

 

"Life is Good"
"Every day is a good day, but some are better than others."
and from my motorcycle safety class
"If you look down, you go down."

 

My kids are tired of me saying that "Every decision has consequences."

 

These are words to live by! Well said DarkBrood, well said!

Cheers
Jay

 

I've always liked Occam's Razor: the simplest solution to a problem is usually the best one.

 

In all of your efforts do your best. That way if things don't work out for you, you'll know that you couldn't have done any better.
Bob

 

I say this whenever my kids leave the house.

'Don't do stupid things.'

So far it's worked.

 

It is what it is.

 

Don't do anything to get arrested.

No point in being stupid if you're not going to prove it.

No point in worrying about what hasn't happened too much is happening to worry about.


Sent from somewhere to someone

 

"Improvise, Adapt, Overcome"
-Gunnery Sgt. Tom Highway

 

You are who you hang out with.

 

I had one back in high school - we had stopped to pick up a mate at his house and I may have had a few beers by then (I wasn't driving ). Well the mate was not home but we were talking to his dad, and when we went to leave I said to him in the most solemn voice "Remember Owen, you can't run if you don't have legs" (which ok is not necessary true given DarkBrood's comment above ) but it has always kind of stayed with me in the fact that both:
1) Be grateful for what you do have, and
2) If you rush to get something done and have an accident, you might never be able to do it again

 

I'm stealing this. Words of wisdom for anyone who's ever worked in a shop. My boss will hate it. Hehe.

 

You win some, you lose some.

 

My motto used to be "I probably shouldn't do this" but when I turned 45 I switched to "What the hell, let's see what happens".

And as always, "Illegitimi non carborundum" (Don't let the bastards grind you down)

 

Thought of another two:

We are who we choose to be.

Everyone is an A-hole to somebody, it just might not be you.

 

Beer. The cause of, and solution to, all of life's little problems.

 

My step dad and I use to race Super Karts and on practice days I would watch him corner and he was like glass, he was so smooth. His times were always so close to mine but he looked slow as hell! He would always tell me that....I miss those days!


Great stuff guys! I am loving em'

Cheers
Jay

 

That is similar in thrust to a observational meme that I utter to people every now and again.. "we all get what we want". Most don't get it, because they don't have what they want.. but the truth of the matter is that they are getting exactly what they want, they just don't realize why they would want such things... deep psychological blind spots and all.

The only other quip that hangs around is one that my granddad uttered after seeing me doing something a long time ago, which I can't remember since I was just a little kid, but his off-the-cuff remark that stuck with me for almost 40 years now...

"stick to what you're good at.."

 

"Chance favors the prepared mind." Never resist an opportunity.

 

"Even nasa makes mistakes".

I say this at my drafting job when one misses something.

 

Hope is not a strategy.

At least three times a week I'm in a meeting at work and someone says "I hope xyz works out". Seriously? Plan that **** out and make it work!