# Best piece of (seemingly small) advice you've ever been given. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 26, 2006, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382 "2006-05-26T22:52:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Stinkum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Stinkum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stinkum)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/21 "2006-05-27T04:29:17Z")
“Don’t brace yourself against the impact. It will only hurt more.” A doctor told me that the worse thing a person can do if they see they are heading for a collison is to brace themselves against the steering wheel – which is exactly what I had done in an accident and why my chest was hurting like a gorilla had jumped on me. A few months later, a friend said the same thing, but meant it metaphorically when I was getting all angsty about my life. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/22 "2006-05-27T04:33:20Z")
My English teacher in high school told us, “Don’t waste your time memorising anything that you can look up in a book.” With modern technology it has become even smarter advice. My first wife and I were told by one of the cleaners at work, “Never go to sleep angry with each other. Stay up and sort it out.” ---
**Author:** ![madhatter56](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/67e7ee/32.png) [@madhatter56](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madhatter56)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/23 "2006-05-27T05:08:54Z")
The best advice I ever recieved has long left my memory… **but** … I did sign up for a guest membership just to write this (hence, mad hatter…darn you alice…j/k)…While in a class for observation about 2 weeks ago, I was enjoying my last day. Students were giving presentations, and it was nice to just sit and listen and not do a lot. When I got up to leave, the teacher and I were talking and he explained to me that he would be retiring when I would be (supposedly) graduating, and I told him I’m so fed up I thought about just changing my major and not worrying about it. He said for me to remember that “it isn’t about destinations” (ie. graduation=destination and it=my life") then when I left he told me to “remember to just enjoy the journey”…it made me feel a lot better about everything…I doubt it’s cosmic, but I loved the idea… Mad Hatter ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/24 "2006-05-27T05:27:58Z")
> [@Stinkum](#): > > “Don’t brace yourself against the impact. It will only hurt more.” Huh. I think this is one of the most profound things I’ve ever read. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/25 "2006-05-27T06:17:54Z")
> [@Snakescatlady](#): > > My mother told me years ago: > > “Never lie to your doctor or your lawyer. Neither one of them can help you if they don’t know the truth.” +3 Maybe, but I’ve heard that if a doctor asks you about your vices (drinking, smoking etc), he or she will automatically double your answer. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/26 "2006-05-27T06:18:55Z")
Nevermind the ‘+3’. Keyboard brainfart. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/27 "2006-05-27T06:43:30Z")
From my father: Never volunteer information. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/28 "2006-05-27T11:00:00Z")
“Don’t be a jerk.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/29 "2006-05-27T12:22:09Z")
From my 8th grade history teacher: “Take initiative. Assume responsibility.” From my boss: “We don’t have a lack of work. We have a lack of commitment.” ---
**Author:** ![Linty\_Fresh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Linty\_Fresh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linty_Fresh)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/30 "2006-05-27T12:31:31Z")
From a line in a book I read twenty-something years ago. “Do not worry about choosing your path. Your path chooses you, and in the end, you will say Thank you.” I thought it was new age bullshit back then, and I still don’t think it applies to everybody, but hoo-boy, did that wind up describing my life! ---
**Author:** ![Otanx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Otanx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otanx)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/31 "2006-05-27T12:39:09Z")
[QUOTE=don’t ask] My English teacher in high school told us, “Don’t waste your time memorising anything that you can look up in a book.” [QUOTE] Similar one from my dad, “Never memorize information. Learn how to look it up.” That piece of advice has helped me imensley. I might not know the order of the fields of a TCP/IP header, but I know where I can find them. I know how to use a library for research, how to use an index, table of contents, and reference sections of books to find stuff. I also like to think my skills at searching the internet is pretty good. That is stuff you should memorize how to do. If you know that then you can look up just about anything else. Another quote I live by is “You can’t change the past.” This one has gotten me into trouble because people think I should react more about something that has happened than saying “Oh well.” Instead of crying over it I will look into how to prevent it from happening again. Once I have prevented it from happening again I don’t worry about it anymore. I think I lead a less stressful life because of it. -Otanx ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/32 "2006-05-27T12:44:50Z")
Everything that happens to you in your life is useful, if you know how to file it away and pull it out when you can use it.–Jean Nidetch, founder of Weight Watchers in her autobio ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/33 "2006-05-27T12:45:20Z")
One of my first employers told me if I have nothing to do at work, grab a broom. Even if your just leaning on it you look like your doing something. This has served me well over the years. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/34 "2006-05-27T13:05:20Z")
“Don’t try to sit on one asscheeck to spare your episiotomy. Sit flat on your ass and cuddle that baby!” - Childbirth recovery advice from a nun. Great woman. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/35 "2006-05-27T13:07:57Z")
A very good friend who has been gone for 9 years now, gave me this advice: “Never charge a cop” It hasn’t helped me the way it did him (I am generally law-abiding), but it has gotten me out of a few speeding tickets. ---
**Author:** ![Silence\_of\_the\_clams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Silence\_of\_the\_clams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silence_of_the_clams)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/36 "2006-05-27T13:08:18Z")
One saying that I find very useful is “it is easier to get forgiveness than permission”. ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/37 "2006-05-27T13:28:12Z")
One of my university teachers, now deceased: “Don’t be mainly a critic.” ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/38 "2006-05-27T13:45:50Z")
“Una, you’ve been dirt poor all your life. Right now you’re living in student housing and paying about $400 a month for everything including rent. Before you start your first professional job, tell them to put the maximum amount into your 401k allowed by law, and never change it downwards. If it hits before the first paycheck, you’ll just budget around it, and never notice the money missing. And you’ll be so much better off in the long run.” And it was true. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/39 "2006-05-27T13:49:48Z")
From my grandmother: “Never get married. Never have children.” I have followed her advice to the letter. ---
**Author:** ![Linty\_Fresh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Linty\_Fresh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linty_Fresh)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/40 "2006-05-27T13:57:27Z")
> [@Kotick](#): > > One saying that I find very useful is “it is easier to get forgiveness than permission”. This is a good one, and something that has served me very well, too. Probably the first little piece of useful advice I learned? “Fuck 'em if they can’t take a joke.” This one’s kept me going for a long, long time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382.md?page=3)