# What's the stupidest, least motivating, motivational poster/slogan you've ever seen? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 1, 2009, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-stupidest-least-motivating-motivational-poster-slogan-youve-ever-seen/498319 "2009-06-01T04:51:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Auntbeast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Auntbeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Auntbeast)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-stupidest-least-motivating-motivational-poster-slogan-youve-ever-seen/498319/61 "2009-06-03T12:16:55Z")
That crayon box thing? _shudder_ It is nice to know I am not alone in my campaign to end the “giving X+100%.” I always base my reaction to “wow, that person can’t count.” and work down from there. I hate any motivational claptrap. I hate it all. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-stupidest-least-motivating-motivational-poster-slogan-youve-ever-seen/498319/62 "2009-06-03T17:42:37Z")
> [@ghardester](#): > > I stand by my original view. We reach an impass and are stuck. We must compromise, as Shot from Guns has said it well. So each side gives in a little. It’s a negotiation. > > There is no ‘both sides win’. Both sides give in, and that is a different thing. > > To say that both sides win is dishonest. You’re misusing the term. What \*you’re \*talking about, as I previously mentioned, is a _compromise_. If you know someone who refers to every compromise as a win-win situation, I can understand why you’d be frustrated, but that doesn’t mean there are no win-win situations, just that the person in question is a moron. You can’t argue that there’s no such thing as a horse because you’ve never seen one with wings. Scroll up and check out **gigi** ’s post (#53). There’s a good hypothetical of a win-win situation right there. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-stupidest-least-motivating-motivational-poster-slogan-youve-ever-seen/498319/63 "2009-06-03T17:47:11Z")
On the other hand, I _love_ this motivational poster: [http://elinema.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/captain-james-t-kirk-awesome1.jpg](http://elinema.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/captain-james-t-kirk-awesome1.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-stupidest-least-motivating-motivational-poster-slogan-youve-ever-seen/498319/64 "2009-06-03T17:47:36Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > Not to be pedantic, but … there are “win-win situations”. They exist. Absolutely. Say I have a computer that I have no use for and it is just taking up space. Say my friend has use for a computer. I give my friend my computer. Win for me, win for him. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-stupidest-least-motivating-motivational-poster-slogan-youve-ever-seen/498319/65 "2009-06-03T18:00:44Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > On the other hand, I _love_ this motivational poster: [http://elinema.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/captain-james-t-kirk-awesome1.jpg](http://elinema.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/captain-james-t-kirk-awesome1.jpg) I prefer [this one](http://media.photobucket.com/image/motivator8752096/GeneralSchatten/motivator8752096.jpg). I think the pose fits the caption better. ---
**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:** [June 3, 2009, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-stupidest-least-motivating-motivational-poster-slogan-youve-ever-seen/498319/66 "2009-06-03T18:06:03Z")
> [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > I prefer the version I read in _Buy Green Bananas_: “Aim for the stars and you might reach the moon. Aim for the next block and you’ll get nowhere.” It makes sense in context, and it’s much more astrologically sound. As I saw Werner von Braun’s autobiography slightly retitled: **I Aimed for the Stars - But I Hit London.** ---
**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:** [June 3, 2009, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-stupidest-least-motivating-motivational-poster-slogan-youve-ever-seen/498319/67 "2009-06-03T18:07:16Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > “Winter teaches a naked woman to knit.” … if we assume that yarn and needles are free, and that you can learn to knit just by examining yarn (without needing, say, lessons), and she doesn’t freeze to death or get arrested for indecent exposure in the time it takes to learn. > > Stupid _and_ callous. \ Winter teaches a naked woman to find a man to give her a fur coat. \ ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-stupidest-least-motivating-motivational-poster-slogan-youve-ever-seen/498319/68 "2009-06-03T20:54:49Z")
Those street signs you see in some neighborhoods saying “Drive Slowly - We (heart) Our Children” tempt me to hit the accelerator to see if I can pick off one of the little nippers. In reality, of course, when driving I am always looking out for your kids, since you can’t be bothered. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-stupidest-least-motivating-motivational-poster-slogan-youve-ever-seen/498319/69 "2009-06-03T21:03:17Z")
“The early bird gets the worm” Didn’t work out too well for the worm. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-stupidest-least-motivating-motivational-poster-slogan-youve-ever-seen/498319/70 "2009-06-03T21:52:22Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > Take a close look at this [logo](http://www.the3rdgear.com/images/logolarge.gif). > > Notice how gears set up this way can’t move. 😃 “The Third Gear”? Not only useless, like a third wheel, but they actually gum up the works?? ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-stupidest-least-motivating-motivational-poster-slogan-youve-ever-seen/498319/71 "2009-06-03T22:05:26Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Those street signs you see in some neighborhoods saying “Drive Slowly - We (heart) Our Children” tempt me to hit the accelerator to see if I can pick off one of the little nippers. > > In reality, of course, when driving I am always looking out for your kids, since you can’t be bothered. 🙂 When I was growing up, there was an official street sign that read “BEWARE OF CHILDREN”. Always put me in mind of packs of the little fiends ready to pounce on the unwary. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-stupidest-least-motivating-motivational-poster-slogan-youve-ever-seen/498319/72 "2009-06-04T04:14:06Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I’ve always hated the cliche “If Life hands you lemons, make lemonade” as it seems to be implying life also handed you sugar, clean water, ice, and a pitcher, in which case making lemonade would seem a no brainer unless you’re diabetic or just happen to really like the taste of lemons. When life hands me lemons, I make huge, useless pyramids of rotting fruit! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-stupidest-least-motivating-motivational-poster-slogan-youve-ever-seen/498319/73 "2009-06-04T04:16:03Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > We’re a republic, not a democracy. :rolleyes: Anyone who says that is not arguing but whining. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-stupidest-least-motivating-motivational-poster-slogan-youve-ever-seen/498319/74 "2009-06-04T04:21:44Z")
[anything]: THE ANTI-DRUG Retarded on **so** many levels . . . ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-stupidest-least-motivating-motivational-poster-slogan-youve-ever-seen/498319/75 "2009-06-04T04:25:12Z")
THE RAISE BECOMES EFFECTIVE AS SOON AS YOU DO Yeah, right . . . :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-stupidest-least-motivating-motivational-poster-slogan-youve-ever-seen/498319/76 "2009-06-04T04:30:04Z")
[The Army recruiting ads of the early 2000s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=284236) were both astonishingly stupid and astonishingly evil. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-stupidest-least-motivating-motivational-poster-slogan-youve-ever-seen/498319/77 "2009-06-04T04:54:10Z")
> [@Student\_Driver](#): > > A motivational slogan I’ve seen on promotional gear for the US Marine Corps: **Pain is weakness leaving the body.** :rolleyes: > > I’ll remember that next time I get a migraine. Problem is they didn’t use the entire statement. fifteen years ago I shattered my heel. I was sitting at home feeling helpless and pissed, and in pain, when one of my co-workers who had shattered a leg in a motorcycle accident told me > [@](#): > > Pain is an interesting thing. It preforms two functions. When you are first injured, pain is a warning not to use the injured part of your body. Later as you are in physical therapy, pain is a signal that weakness is leaving your body. The harder your work your body in physical therapy, the quicker your recovery will be. Know what? He was 100% correct. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-stupidest-least-motivating-motivational-poster-slogan-youve-ever-seen/498319/78 "2009-06-04T04:58:20Z")
There’s the old classic, “A smile is a frown turned upside down !” So, I guess the solution to the unhappiness of the world is to hang everyone unhappy from the ceiling by their feet ? > [@Malthus](#): > > When I was growing up, there was an official street sign that read “BEWARE OF CHILDREN”. > > Always put me in mind of packs of the little fiends ready to pounce on the unwary. - /hijack \* Despite what it actually means, the phrase “child molestation” has always made me imagine headlines like “_ **Santa Barbara Man Molests Three Children, Is Dragged Into Their Cage And Eaten** _”. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-stupidest-least-motivating-motivational-poster-slogan-youve-ever-seen/498319/79 "2009-06-04T04:58:52Z")
That which does not kill me hurts like a sonovabitch. ---
**Author:** ![the\_first\_supraliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f475e1/32.png) [@the\_first\_supraliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_first_supraliminal)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-stupidest-least-motivating-motivational-poster-slogan-youve-ever-seen/498319/80 "2009-06-04T05:00:50Z")
“The Early Worm Had Better Watch Out - It’s Better To Be Safe Than First” I’m not sure where that one was going, but it seems to have gotten lost along the way. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-stupidest-least-motivating-motivational-poster-slogan-youve-ever-seen/498319.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-stupidest-least-motivating-motivational-poster-slogan-youve-ever-seen/498319.md?page=5)