# The general Life Advice thread **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 20, 2009, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-general-life-advice-thread/486729 "2009-02-20T16:11:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![picker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/picker/32/13969_2.png) [@picker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picker)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-general-life-advice-thread/486729/21 "2009-02-20T18:33:29Z")
All things in moderation, including moderation. Live your love, love your life. ---
**Author:** ![somepumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-general-life-advice-thread/486729/22 "2009-02-20T18:36:46Z")
Don’t get married until you’re, at least, 30. I think we all change a lot from the time we’re 21 to the time we’re 30. ---
**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-general-life-advice-thread/486729/23 "2009-02-20T18:37:09Z")
Live your life so that when you are on your deathbed, you can honestly say that you have no regrets. Take care of your body - moderate food, exercise, drugs, alcohol. You only have one. ---
**Author:** ![Isosleepy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/isosleepy/32/479_2.png) [@Isosleepy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isosleepy)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-general-life-advice-thread/486729/24 "2009-02-20T18:46:42Z")
\*Don’t argue with people who can shoot you or those who can spit in your food. \*Nothing good happens anywhere, but especially in bars, after midnight. \*Don’t lie (much). ---
**Author:** ![rivulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@rivulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rivulus)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-general-life-advice-thread/486729/25 "2009-02-20T18:50:22Z")
Have a place to put your keys. Put them there. Every time. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-general-life-advice-thread/486729/26 "2009-02-20T18:53:03Z")
Read the OP. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-general-life-advice-thread/486729/27 "2009-02-20T18:54:13Z")
Things you get for free are usually worth what you paid for them. ---
**Author:** ![TheMerchandise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b487fb/32.png) [@TheMerchandise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheMerchandise)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-general-life-advice-thread/486729/28 "2009-02-20T19:10:31Z")
“Life is lumpy; it’s full of lumps. Lumps in your oatmeal, lumps in your throat, and lumps in your breast. Learn to recognize the difference and act accordingly.” Pithy, yes, but this is something I often repeat to myself when dealing with upsetting things. When I stop for a moment and think about it, most of my problems are just lumps in my oatmeal. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-general-life-advice-thread/486729/29 "2009-02-20T19:11:52Z")
Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less. Being of service to others is it’s own reward. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-general-life-advice-thread/486729/30 "2009-02-20T19:22:20Z")
Despite what you see on commercials, the insurance company is not your friend. They have made a bet, and when they have to pay you money, they lose the bet. ---
**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:** [February 20, 2009, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-general-life-advice-thread/486729/31 "2009-02-20T19:27:49Z")
Treat others the way you wish to be treated. Boring, and yet true! ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-general-life-advice-thread/486729/32 "2009-02-20T19:29:31Z")
Read the safety informations cards when you travel by airplane, every time. Studies repeatedly show that those who read the safety cards are more likely to survive a crash. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-general-life-advice-thread/486729/33 "2009-02-20T19:31:24Z")
Learning from your own mistakes is good. Learning from _other people’s_ mistakes is better. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-general-life-advice-thread/486729/34 "2009-02-20T19:34:05Z")
It’s impossible to spoil a baby. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-general-life-advice-thread/486729/35 "2009-02-20T19:36:33Z")
If someone gives you a job to do, not only do it well but do it better than they expect. This goes for shit jobs also. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-general-life-advice-thread/486729/36 "2009-02-20T19:39:48Z")
Don’t be afraid to try new things, even things outside your comfort zone. To put it another way, I understand that the first rule of improv is to always say yes. Assuming the request or job is ethical, always saying yes to things you might not be sure I can handle has been a good strategy at work. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-general-life-advice-thread/486729/37 "2009-02-20T19:46:11Z")
As much as possible, stay out of debt. Work your way through school. Save up to pay for a car. Live within your means. Debt is super easy to get into, and super hard to get out of (they make it that way on purpose). (Yes, the voice of experience from having been there and worked my ass off to struggle to get back up the debt slide.) ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-general-life-advice-thread/486729/38 "2009-02-20T19:51:58Z")
Don’t judge people by their relatives. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-general-life-advice-thread/486729/39 "2009-02-20T19:56:37Z")
In the Art of War, Sun Tzu said “One hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the most skillful. Subduing the other’s military without battle is the most skillful.” Another translation reads “To win without fighting is best.” This is true in personal life as well. Avoiding a conflict is better than winning one, and the best method of self defense is recognizing and avoiding dangerous situations in the first place. A friend who has done some work as a professional bodyguard once told me while discussing his occupation that if he found himself in a situation where he had to use his weapon, he’d probably already made five or six mistakes. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-general-life-advice-thread/486729/40 "2009-02-20T19:59:59Z")
Go ahead and put your dick in the crazy, just don’t put a ring on them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-general-life-advice-thread/486729.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-general-life-advice-thread/486729.md?page=3)