# What's your mantra? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 20, 2020, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-mantra/928436 "2020-12-20T01:55:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2020, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-mantra/928436/61 "2020-12-28T17:26:16Z")
“Do it yourself. No matter what.” ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2020, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-mantra/928436/62 "2020-12-28T19:48:26Z")
I’m a bit concerned about that one. I’ve known a couple of people who were determined to do things themselves even though they had no idea how. They did some significant damage. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2020, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-mantra/928436/63 "2020-12-28T20:44:28Z")
But it’s _my_ mantra, not theirs. And I actually do everything myself. I’ve never hired anyone. Built my own race cars, restored cars, my own house, (single handed, no help other then the initial demo), numerous garages. I have my own wood working shop, welding shop, sheet metal shop (shears, brakes, rollers, etc) metal shop (lathe, milling machine, presses). When the head cracked on my 1971 BMW Bavaria 6 cylinder I ask the dealer if they had someone that could weld it as it was very expensive for a replacement. They told me it couldn’t be done. Hah. I welded and heat treated it on my own and it was working perfectly when I sold the car 80,000 miles later. When I was helping my son get started as a contractor the workers would sometimes ask me if I had done such and such before. (The kid took jobs he shouldn’t have). I told them that most of the things we had done I was doing for the first time myself. I developed ways to lift garages and build higher foundations. By hand - no heavy equipment. We straightened garages that were ready to fall over for a fraction of the cost of a new garage. Like I said, that’s my mantra. ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2020, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-mantra/928436/64 "2020-12-28T20:51:47Z")
“Now I know why Moe was always angry!” ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Me](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mr.Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Me)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2020, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-mantra/928436/65 "2020-12-29T00:36:03Z")
Everything works if you let it. From Art Carney’s last movie, [Roadie](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081433/characters/nm0138770). [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/d7qZXGpqla4/hqdefault.jpg "Everything works if you let it - Cheap Trick") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7qZXGpqla4) ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2020, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-mantra/928436/66 "2020-12-29T00:44:07Z")
As with all things, this too shall pass. And, humming Ode to Joy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-mantra/928436.md?page=3)