# Lessons learned the hard way **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 11, 2017, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737 "2017-06-11T23:53:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/61 "2017-06-13T10:07:20Z")
> [@Randolph](#): > > But a guy who says he’s 6’0" will still usually be around 6’0", right? A guy’s height is measured while standing on his wallet. If the total reaches 6 feet, he’s golden. My lesson-learned is: Don’t go into a southern woman’s kitchen and tell her what she’s doing wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/62 "2017-06-13T14:24:14Z")
Don’t add lemon juice to your hot beverage in the Styrofoam cup. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/63 "2017-06-13T15:29:44Z")
When your former manager tells you to get everything the company tells you in writing, _get it in writing_. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/64 "2017-06-13T16:37:51Z")
Don’t set your phone on the toilet tank with the lid up. Yes, I fished mine out. The touch screen became erratic and I had to buy a new phone. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/65 "2017-06-13T19:41:54Z")
There is a little safety switch inside a dryer door that doesn’t let the dryer start when the door is open. It is not just a mechanical switch, there is electricity running through it. Do not try to start the dryer when pushing it in with your hand. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/66 "2017-06-13T20:20:54Z")
When I was in the hospital following my car accident, I found out the hard way why they are called “butt bullets” (I say hard way because I didn’t need them and they were administered to me by mistake). ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2017, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/67 "2017-06-14T21:29:56Z")
Never buy a used car with a can of Stop-Leak in the glove box. If you see a broken Oreo cookie on the carpet, don’t use your carpet sweeper to pick it up. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2017, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/68 "2017-06-15T01:38:39Z")
> [@ThisSpaceForRent](#): > > Do not EVER, under any circumstances, try to adjust a alternator tensioner pully in the dark, ½ inebriated… > > Fingers do not go around drive pulleys well…and it hurts…a lot! Did you lose anything permanently? ---
**Author:** ![AllShookDown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d9b06d/32.png) [@AllShookDown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllShookDown)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2017, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/69 "2017-06-15T13:36:35Z")
Never, ever trust anyone who says, “You trust me, don’t you?” ---
**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:** [June 15, 2017, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/70 "2017-06-15T13:41:16Z")
The first rule of running a business is keep copies. Keep copies of everything. When falling downstairs, do not reach for a banister that is not there. Hitting the wall is a good way to pop off your wrist bone. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2017, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/71 "2017-06-15T17:41:22Z")
One thing I’ve learned from this thread is don’t trust Styrofoam cups! :eek: Always wash your arms with Tecnu soap immediately after weeding the garden even if you didn’t think you touched poison ivy. You did touch poison ivy and you will get a rash that will spread to your legs and itch so much you’ll bruise yourself scratching. ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2017, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/72 "2017-06-15T23:10:43Z")
Don’t pull weeds with your bare hands if you don’t know what nettles look like. ---
**Author:** ![Jungian\_Camisole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8baadc/32.png) [@Jungian\_Camisole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jungian_Camisole)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2017, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/73 "2017-06-15T23:30:58Z")
If you drop your newly sharpened chef’s knife, you just have to let that shit go. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2017, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/74 "2017-06-15T23:33:46Z")
> [@dwyr](#): > > Don’t pull weeds with your bare hands if you don’t know what nettles look like. Don’t pull weeds if you don’t know what poison ivy looks like. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![AllShookDown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d9b06d/32.png) [@AllShookDown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllShookDown)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2017, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/75 "2017-06-16T05:07:43Z")
I should probably do that over the sink. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2017, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/76 "2017-06-16T13:15:22Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > So you believe two people in a relationship must be similar types of people in order to be successful? I wouldn’t say it’s a requirement, but it certainly improves the odds of success. 😉 My lesson learned the hard way: Leave the electronic stability control ON. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2017, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/77 "2017-06-16T13:50:52Z")
You know those [single-load laundry detergent pods](http://assets.inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/24/files/2016/04/detergent-pods.jpg)? Well, if you get a container full of them where one has broken and gotten goo all over the others, _don’t try to rinse the goo off them_. Take the container back to the store, or deal with the goo, but when you try to rinse off something (or rather, a bunch of somethings) that’s water-soluble… :eek: ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2017, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/78 "2017-06-16T14:00:46Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > OMG, 1000 times this. If she is thin, **she will make that very clear**. If it’s at a weird angle, like above her head, she’s a fat one. If it’s too fuzzy to see details, she’s a fat one. If she is wearing bigger, baggier clothes, she’s a fat one. A genuinely not-fat girl will take steps to leave no doubt. Bigger girls obfuscate. Online dating is cutthroat. 😃 Eh, I wouldn’t treat this as rule. If a woman is thin and has always been thin, it may not occur to her that she needs to prove how thin she is. Years ago, when I had a online profile up, a guy kept pestering me to share a full-body shot before agreeing to meet in person. The one full shot posted of me was shot from some distance, so I assume his concern was that I had some fat rolls hidden from view. His insistence on getting conclusive evidence was a turn off, which then meant I couldn’t be bothered in indulging his request. His conclusion was probably that I was as big as a house, but nope. Just a little lazy when it comes to reassuring people that I’m as cute as available pictures suggest I am. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2017, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/79 "2017-06-16T14:03:47Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > So you believe two people in a relationship must be similar types of people in order to be successful? Just speaking for myself, I’d put it this way: for a relationship to work over the long haul, a couple needs _shared or compatible goals/values/worldview_. That’s the sort of similarity that’s needed. You can be different in a lot of ways and still have a great marriage. But not in those ways. ---
**Author:** ![slightly\_askew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@slightly\_askew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slightly_askew)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2017, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/80 "2017-06-16T15:48:24Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Don’t pull weeds if you don’t know what poison ivy looks like. ☹ Corollary: don’t let your significant other touch you if he/she has been pulling weeds and doesn’t know what poison ivy looks like. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737.md?page=5)