# 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:** 6
**Author:** ![Crandolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Crandolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crandolph)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/101 "2006-05-30T06:42:58Z")
I once read this one in a book: “Never walk on ice wth your hands in your pockets.” I’d add any wet patch on the sidewalk that looks like it might possibly be ice… ---
**Author:** ![Sleel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@Sleel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleel)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/102 "2006-05-30T07:06:30Z")
“Women like to have sex almost as much as you do,” and a related piece of advice, “The question isn’t whether or not she does it; she does. The question is, will she do it with you?” It took me a few years after my father and uncle respectively told me these little tidbits to really believe them, and a bit longer to get any practical use out of them, but they were both right. In the same vein, “Treat whores like ladies and ladies like whores,” (typically pithy advice from my father, again) has been right more often than not. It’s a bit like the celebrity/ordinary person advice given earlier in the thread. Something I’ll tell my kids or anyone else to whom I’m dispensing advice are my simplified touchstones of morality: “If it doesn’t hurt you and it doesn’t hurt someone else, it’s okay. If it hurts you or hurts someone else, it’s probably wrong.” The only time this doesn’t work is when there is no course of action that doesn’t result in harm. Then, it’s a judgement call about what causes less overall harm to you and others. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/103 "2006-05-30T16:03:17Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Treat anything you borrow as if it was yours. Well, that explains all the things folks have borrowed from me and never returned! ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/104 "2006-05-30T17:45:59Z")
If people are asking for volenteers, wait till you find out what they want before you raise your hand. That stopped me from having to do kitchen duty quite often at camp, and from doing ductwork at Habitat. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/105 "2006-05-30T18:00:55Z")
_Keep a tight asshole._ I think that came from Mailer’s **The Naked and the Dead** although I’ll not swear to it. But frankly trying to comply often left me exhausted and focused on things other than what were in front of me, what was important. So, I switched to _Don’t sweat the little stuff_… like keeping a tight asshole. ---
**Author:** ![dre2xl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/34f0e0/32.png) [@dre2xl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dre2xl)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/106 "2006-05-30T18:57:12Z")
My father drilled two things into my head: (1) Stimulants come with a down at least as equal to an up. This has helped me through quite a few “I hate myself and I want to die” days after doing some big pushes, and helped me moderate my usage. (2) Sleep loss is accumulative. ---
**Author:** ![TwoOnSunday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/22d042/32.png) [@TwoOnSunday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwoOnSunday)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/107 "2006-05-30T20:51:12Z")
> [@Waverly](#): > > “It was what it is.” If they would only TELL you what it is, that would make the getting over it part much more simple. Nonetheless, I will try to employ this line of thinking now. Damn HUB. The best piece of advice I have ever received was from my older sister - Anything written can be proven. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/108 "2006-05-30T21:10:28Z")
It may be a punchline from a movie, but it has some sage advice in it: \*Lord loves a workin’ man; don’t trust whitey; see a doctor and get rid of it. \* If you’ve got a job, you’ve got the means to a future. Trust no-one in Authority, especially yourself. Catch it small, no trouble at all. ---
**Author:** ![cmosdes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@cmosdes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmosdes)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/109 "2006-05-30T23:47:27Z")
These are all cliche, but they serve me well: “Whom the gods destroy, they first make proud.” From my parents: “Be consistent.” - this was said in reference to raising kids, but it works well for life in general. If people know what to expect from you it seems very easy to generally get along with people. Finally, from my 7th grade principal: “If you take care of the effort, the results will take care of themselves.” It took me until college to realize just how sage this advice really is. It’s corollary is “It is amazing how lucky the well prepared appear to be.” ---
**Author:** ![Mayo\_Speaks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mayo\_Speaks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mayo_Speaks)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/110 "2006-05-31T00:57:17Z")
> [@FlyingRat](#): > > My husband taught me a very similar thing, in Japanese: > > _Shikataganai._ > > I don’t know the exact translation, but it carries a similar connotation of “there’s nothing to be done about it now, so there’s no point in worrying about it”. For a worrywart like me, it’s become somewhat of a mantra… I read this phrase in a book somewhere, possibly _Red Mars_. The given translation was, “There is no other way.” It was written Shikata ga nai, IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![I\_can\_make\_a\_hat\_or\_a\_brooch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@I\_can\_make\_a\_hat\_or\_a\_brooch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_make_a_hat_or_a_brooch)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/111 "2006-05-31T17:40:45Z")
One that stuck with me was from a deleted scene from The Twilight Zone: “Any man can be a marksman if the target doesn’t shoot back.” And a favorite of mine is something that Coco Chanel once said: “Before you leave the house, remove one accessory.” ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/112 "2006-05-31T17:45:34Z")
- Life is Sales - figure out what you are trying to get others to “buy” from you - There is nothing you can’t do if you are willing to practice and learn from your mistakes - The two most important things are self-esteem and intellectual curiosity - never choose a path that compromises either - Know at least one thing well enough to be an “-ist” - an artist, a guitarist, a cook, a baseball player (okay they don’t end in “-ist” but you get the idea) All stuff that has served me well when I finally grasped the underlying meaning… ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/113 "2006-05-31T18:10:36Z")
From Miss Piggy: “Never eat more than you can lift.” From the Hippie Across the Hall in my Dorm: “It’s in human nature to fuck up our lives.” From Dear Old Mom: “Shut up, stop whining, fix your hair and stop dressing like a boy.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/114 "2006-05-31T18:40:47Z")
Two from my dad: 1. Never let a gift inconvenience you. 2. You can always solve a problem by spending money. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/115 "2006-05-31T20:43:40Z")
Better the ugliest truth than the prettiest lie. Measure twice, cut once. Decide which people’s opinions of you matter, then say “fuck ya” to the rest of the disapproving bastards. Feed your senses. Spend money on good sheets, mattresses, comforters and pillows–you spend a third of your life in bed, it should be a great place to pass the time. Never sweat the petty stuff; always pet the sweaty stuff… ---
**Author:** ![Reloy3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c68b51/32.png) [@Reloy3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reloy3)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/116 "2006-05-31T21:52:08Z")
Get out of your ruts. A rut is just a grave with the sides torn out. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/117 "2006-05-31T22:19:30Z")
“Jump!” To woman standing in front of a breaking plate glass window. ---
**Author:** ![tiltypig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dbc845/32.png) [@tiltypig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiltypig)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2006, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/118 "2006-06-01T00:30:22Z")
From a producer whose leadership skills I admired greatly: when I’d come to him with some horrible problem I was facing that had been caused by someone else’s carelessness, he’d say to me, “It’s not your fault, but it’s your problem.” Keeping this in mind when we ran into huge project management messes kept me from quibbling over stupid stuff that wouldn’t get us any farther in the process. This advice took me from “It wasn’t my fault, why should I deal with it? How do I make people understand I didn’t do anything wrong?” to “It wasn’t my fault, but I’m as good a person as any to deal with it. What is the next step?” This advice helped me roll up my sleeves and get things done without wasting energy and squandering camaraderie on blame and Not My Job issues. ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2006, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/119 "2006-06-01T00:43:40Z")
My screensaver at work is “DWYSYWD”, for “Do what you say you will do.” Words to live by, and proof that just because something is simple, doesn’t mean it’s always easy. Another favorite is something my sister has taught my pre-school-aged neices is one of “the rules”: “You get what you get, and you don’t have a fit.” Sample exchange: 3 year old: “She got the last orange popsicle! I got cherry! I want orange!” Her mom: “What’s the rule?” 3 y.o. (in a long-suffering voice): “You get what you get, and you don’t have a fit.” ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2006, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382/120 "2006-06-01T01:29:05Z")
> [@Jodi](#): > > My screensaver at work is “DWYSYWD”, for “Do what you say you will do.” Words to live by, and proof that just because something is simple, doesn’t mean it’s always easy. > > Another favorite is something my sister has taught my pre-school-aged neices is one of “the rules”: “You get what you get, and you don’t have a fit.” Sample exchange: > > 3 year old: “She got the last orange popsicle! I got cherry! I want orange!” > Her mom: “What’s the rule?” > 3 y.o. (in a long-suffering voice): “You get what you get, and you don’t have a fit.” My Girl Scouts say it as: “you get what you get and you don’t get upset” Absolutely invaluable. They all seem to instantly accept that rule and live by it. Parents or others working with children- learn this rhyme! It will save you much aggravation! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piece-of-seemingly-small-advice-youve-ever-been-given/358382.md?page=7)