Quaint but potent: "It's nice to be important, but it's important to be nice."

There are some good ones so far:

Paid In Full wrote:"If it was easy, everyone would be doing it."

yeah, it's hard to remember this all the time, but it also seems to neglect what's hard in the actual activity. it's the bullshit. do you really believe that michael jordan was the best basketball player? what does it mean? end results don't tell the whole story. perhaps there was one guy who was better, but got fucked over by his high school coach because he didn't kiss the coach's ass. the truth is, that michael jordan is the best basketball player within the confines of the institution called organized corporate basketball. that goes for everything: writers, musicians, artists, web designers, garbage men, lawyers, doctors, etc.

areopagite wrote:"You can only MAKE people do two things: hate you and lie to you."

this one is interesting. last night I was talking to my sister and she was venting about something regarding another person's actions. she felt like she was forced into being rude. really, the other person was causing the situation. It's important to consider being that person who has to lie to you or hate you when you act.

Sock OR Muffin? wrote:"I'd rather have a bottle in front of me, than a frontal lobotomy."

perhaps this is old, but I've never read/heard it before. salut!

simmo wrote:"choose your battles."

everyone has heard this one, but it is so great. it is a chess match. you can't just fight everything and everyone. you will lose. recent advice I got re: job stuff "you act like how things should be, not as they are." my tendency is to fight every battle and of course I lose the war. I'm trying to pick my battles now.

thyklopth wrote:Life is a horse- Either you ride it, or it rides you.

I like this sentiment, but it doesn't make sense. how does a horse ride you? unless this is some beastiality thing, then I guess it does make sense. yeesh.

lemur68 wrote:When God gives you locusts, make locustade.

so good.

Mandroid2.0 wrote:The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong in the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. If you are none of these you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry.

-Ernest Hemingway

kind of hard to not think about how this comes from a guy who blew his brains out. definitely a strong personality who was beaten down.

Josef K wrote:Never pass up the opportunity to say nothing.

essential rule for the workplace.

while watching the wire season 1 commentary, david simon talks about how the show is about institutions not crime. one scene he talks about is when d'angelo is imparting wisdom to the 'hoppers." he is discussing hierarchy and how the king/president is most important, so that's why they are on paper money. one of the hoppers speaks up and says hamilton wasn't a president. d'angelo chastises him and says he's wrong.

simon in the commentary says that this scene highlights the fact that in institutions, if you are the low man on the totem pole, even if you are "right," you are "wrong."


myself, one that I've been thinking about is that my time is worth more than money. it's a good attitude to take, because once you value your time, you will require that others do so too.

"I'm getting too old for this shit..."
The defeatism in this - is numbing.

Actress wrote:"I'm getting too old for this shit..."
The defeatism in this - is numbing.

I'm guessing you're quite young.

There is nothing defeatist about realizing what's important, and what's a waste of time and energy.

I'm not very young, I'm 33 - and I have never had to use this phrase, nor will I.
Knowing and acknowledging what's a waste of time/energy is something to keep to yourself; avoid situations that will cause you to feel this way.
If you are, in fact, old - then you already know this.

A friend once said to me, "don't argue with an idiot in public, because people walking by will not be able to tell the difference between you and him."

This advice works just as well for people arguing on this forum.

I have found that "What goes around, comes around" proves true every fucking time.

Woman at the employment agency that I go to told me her grandmother always told her "You don't shit what I eat."

I assume you can capitalize "shit" for empasis.

"Everyone has their own bucket of shit to carry. I'm not carrying yours".

Told to my mother when she was in nursung school, I believe.

"I spent the first 40 years wanting to know everything, now I'm in the second 40, and I wish I didn't know so much..."