# The pithiest advice you ever got... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 30, 2017, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pithiest-advice-you-ever-got/795067 "2017-08-30T00:11:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pithiest-advice-you-ever-got/795067/201 "2018-04-18T14:35:49Z")
Arguing with the weather only makes you wetter. Measure twice, cut once. One drop raises the sea. _As jy dom is. moet jy kak._ ---
**Author:** ![Onthefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9de053/32.png) [@Onthefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onthefly)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2018, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pithiest-advice-you-ever-got/795067/202 "2018-04-19T00:17:31Z")
When I was a teenager and would get into trouble doing something I had previously been in trouble for, my dad would tell me “There’s no lesson in the second kick from a mule.” ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2018, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pithiest-advice-you-ever-got/795067/203 "2018-04-19T00:44:15Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Grestarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grestarian/32/3227_2.png) [@Grestarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grestarian)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2018, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pithiest-advice-you-ever-got/795067/204 "2018-04-19T01:48:45Z")
“You can’t win if you don’t play the game!” –My neighbor, who helped set up the California Lottery’s communications network “True. But if I don’t play, I won’t lose either. Do I maybe win a zillion dollars next Wednesday, or do I definitely get a meal at the cafeteria tonight?” –My response. * * * From a poster on the choir director’s door: A drawing of a pig in a shallow mud-puddle and the captions… [COLOR=“DarkRed”]Don’t try to teach a pig to sing. It’s a waste of time with no chance of success. ## And it annoys the pig. I told my wife about that poster and we laughed about it. Now, when my wife asks why I don’t speak up more about subtle and not-so-subtle racism, religionism, et cetera, I merely have to say, “Because it would be like teaching a pig to sing.” and she understands. –G![/COLOR] I can’t explain the time it takes to make you understand… …–Robin Zander (Cheap Trick) …_Never Had a Lot To Lose_ …Lap of Luxury ---
**Author:** ![Yarster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/7c8e57/32.png) [@Yarster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yarster)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2018, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pithiest-advice-you-ever-got/795067/205 "2018-04-19T20:37:34Z")
Said by my wife on 9/11, which made us a lot of money: “I don’t know who did this, but whoever it was is getting a shitload of bombs dropped on them. Now would be a good time to invest in defense companies” ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2018, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pithiest-advice-you-ever-got/795067/206 "2018-04-20T17:27:40Z")
True leadership isn’t inspiring those who believe in you-It is inspiring those who _don’t_. Half the world is below average in intelligence…but how would you look if it wasn’t? The worst of us love, learn, feel joy, feel pain, have plans, have regrets, have hopes, have fears-By labeling anyone “inhuman” you label yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pithiest-advice-you-ever-got/795067/207 "2018-04-23T17:22:19Z")
> [@cwthree](#): > > “What your brain forgets, your feet make up” > > - various relatives That’s actually an idiom in France ! “Quand on n’a pas de tête, il faut avoir des jambes”. When you don’t have a head, you gotta have legs. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pithiest-advice-you-ever-got/795067/208 "2018-04-24T02:23:58Z")
The better you look, the more you see. In your dealings with people, remember, everyone is fighting their own war. Cash me outside, how 'bout dat. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2024, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pithiest-advice-you-ever-got/795067/209 "2024-06-06T23:14:42Z")
I was going to start a new topic, but this one seemed pretty perfect to post in. Years ago, I had a friend, Stan, who owned a fairly famous seafood place in town (the Salt Cellar, for those who know Scottsdale). He related the following story to me… They used to offer a big plate of escargot at a very good price. Best price in the Valley. They didn’t sell all that well, although there was a group of regulars who used to come in on Fridays, and order plate after plate of them. Stan went over to them one Friday, and told them that they should enjoy them, while they could, because he was going to take them off the menu due to poor sales. One of the guys looked at him, sighed, and said “Double your price.” Stan said “What!?.” They guys said “Yeah, they are too cheap. _Nobody wants to eat cheap snails_.” Stan doubled his price, and sales doubled also. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2024, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pithiest-advice-you-ever-got/795067/210 "2024-06-07T15:44:04Z")
> [@pullin](#): > > Advice given to me by an older EMT when I first starting driving ambulances. He was telling me to limit my own risk when attempting rescue. Good advice. Our maxim in SAR was “Don’t become a victim that needs to be rescued too.” Back when everyone wore your basic Vibram hiking boots, we would cut a special pattern in the soles so that if you left a trak, it would be recognized if it was a person from our group. ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2024, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pithiest-advice-you-ever-got/795067/211 "2024-06-07T21:37:32Z")
Never plan ahead, lest the term “premeditated” come up in court. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2024, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pithiest-advice-you-ever-got/795067/212 "2024-06-08T08:45:24Z")
“Lift with your legs” ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2024, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pithiest-advice-you-ever-got/795067/213 "2024-06-08T12:40:20Z")
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2024, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pithiest-advice-you-ever-got/795067/214 "2024-06-08T13:07:54Z")
“We suffer more in imagination and then in reality“ – Seneca, As somebody who confronts anxiety and procrastination regularly, the truth of this maxim is repeatedly demonstrated. (It’s also a foundational quote for Stoicism, something I’ve found to be very useful). ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2024, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pithiest-advice-you-ever-got/795067/215 "2024-06-08T18:12:22Z")
Is that deliberately misquoted? The actual quote is “We suffer more in imagination than in reality.” Your version seems to say something different, that we suffer in imagination and then we suffer again in reality. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2024, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pithiest-advice-you-ever-got/795067/216 "2024-06-08T18:26:26Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Is that deliberately misquoted? The actual quote is “We suffer more in imagination than in reality.” No, I fucked it up. I blame, uh, well, _me_. (And autocorrect. And my attention sp - _squirrel!_) ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2024, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pithiest-advice-you-ever-got/795067/217 "2024-06-08T18:42:09Z")
I wouldn’t let Seneca off the hook. He could have been clearer. ---
**Author:** ![moes\_lotion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@moes\_lotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moes_lotion)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2024, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pithiest-advice-you-ever-got/795067/218 "2024-06-10T04:19:37Z")
My father’s advice on study habits - “It’s better to worry before an exam than after.” ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2024, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pithiest-advice-you-ever-got/795067/219 "2024-06-11T19:16:00Z")
“Do the hardest thing first”, my mother told me. Mostly, it’s worked. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2024, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pithiest-advice-you-ever-got/795067/220 "2024-06-11T20:07:09Z")
I did a ice climbing course in Peru in my youth (only a weekend and I only did it as a girl from the hostel I was staying at wanted to go). One of the key take aways was “don’t die with a surprised expression on your face”. Basically understand and assess the risks you are taking, don’t blunder into a dangerous situation without stopping and assessing it first. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pithiest-advice-you-ever-got/795067.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pithiest-advice-you-ever-got/795067.md?page=12)