# What's your motto in life? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 2, 2007, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-motto-in-life/402439 "2007-05-02T10:15:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2007, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-motto-in-life/402439/41 "2007-05-02T16:21:31Z")
Motto No. 1: There are only challenges. Motto No. 2 (runs neck and neck with No. 1): _cacoethes scribendi_. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2007, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-motto-in-life/402439/42 "2007-05-02T16:49:56Z")
Mine’s hakuna matat… [QUOTE=Anaamika] No worries. [/QUOTE] Aieee! Someone took mine! What am I supposed to do now, make one up? Uh…nah, I’m screwed! Screwed, do you hear me? Aieeeee! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2007, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-motto-in-life/402439/43 "2007-05-02T17:03:05Z")
What fresh hell is this. Ok it hasn’t always been my motto, but it’s been a bad year. And anyway I love Dorothy Parker. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2007, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-motto-in-life/402439/44 "2007-05-02T17:05:35Z")
[QUOTE=TheMerchandise] “Life is lumpy. But a lump in your oatmeal, a lump in your throat and a lump in your breast are not the same kinds of lumps. Learn to recognize the difference and act accordingly.” When you take the time to stop and analyze it, most problems are really just lumps in your oatmeal. [/QUOTE] [TV quote]You gave this away for free, so it must be good![/TV quote] Actually it is, damn good. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2007, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-motto-in-life/402439/45 "2007-05-02T17:11:37Z")
No, wait, I’ve got it now… Always pee when you have a chance. ---
**Author:** ![Atrael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Atrael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atrael)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2007, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-motto-in-life/402439/46 "2007-05-02T17:22:10Z")
Firstly, could those of you with fancy latin mottos please translate? Mine are: _Have Faith_ Meaning I have faith in myself and my abilities…I have faith in my fellow man that most people are decent…and faith in…something larger than myself that things will work out. _Know Thyself_ This one is a close second. I think a lot of people get into trouble because they don’t really admit to themselves what kind of people they are. So I try to be brutally honest with myself…recognize why I do things, and why I don’t do others. Helps in resisting temptations if you admit that you can be tempted in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2007, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-motto-in-life/402439/47 "2007-05-02T17:39:08Z")
What would Jeeves do? ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2007, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-motto-in-life/402439/48 "2007-05-02T17:57:08Z")
Modifed from a Fight Club: “As always, you’ll be dragged kicking and screaming out the other side.” It means that no matter what happens in life, if you’re not dead, then it’s gonna come to a resolution. Unsurmountable workload? Give it a few days and it’ll all be behind you, right? Secondly, “It’s all a matter of rational self-interest”. ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2007, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-motto-in-life/402439/49 "2007-05-02T17:58:33Z")
[QUOTE=Atrael] Firstly, could those of you with fancy latin mottos please translate? [/QUOTE] I could, but that’d kind of ruin it. I had it backwards, btw - “Audi Vidi Tace” ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2007, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-motto-in-life/402439/50 "2007-05-02T18:00:25Z")
[QUOTE=Skald the Rhymer] “I will not rest until the Earth has been conquered, I have been acclaimed God-King, Elizabeth Mitchell and Kate Winslett have given birth to my heirs simultaneously (to ensure a civil war after my death), and everyone involved with the latter four seasons of Star Trek: Voyager has been executed. Except for Roxanne Biggs-Dawson, who is spared only to bear the spoiler heir.” [/QUOTE] Wordy. ---
**Author:** ![melangell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@melangell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melangell)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2007, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-motto-in-life/402439/51 "2007-05-02T18:52:56Z")
Old favorite: “Be the change you want to see in the world” -Ghandi 🙂 New (and tied with Old Favorite) Favorite: “It’s not about how hard you can hit. It’s about how many hits you can take and still keep going.” -Rocky Balboa 🆒 Thank you, Rocky, it has been a very rocky year :smack: . ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2007, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-motto-in-life/402439/52 "2007-05-02T19:05:13Z")
Read Sig ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2007, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-motto-in-life/402439/53 "2007-05-02T19:16:10Z")
“If you can’t be good, be colorful”, supposedly said by astronaut [John Young](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_W._Young) on several occasions. “All right, there’s a thousand things that have to happen in order. We are on number eight. You’re talking about number six hundred and ninety-two.”, Jim Lovell in _Apollo 13_. “That’s one of the remarkable things about life. It never gets so bad that it couldn’t get worse”, from _Calvin and Hobbes_ “The problem with the rat race is that, even if you win, you’re still a rat”, Lily Tomlin “He who dies with the most toys, still dies”, from a No Fear T-shirt I used to have and wish I still did. “No matter how great your triumphs, or how tragic your defeats, approximately one billion Chinese couldn’t care less”, Lazlo’s Chinese Relativity Axiom ---
**Author:** ![henrijohns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/cdc98d/32.png) [@henrijohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/henrijohns)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2007, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-motto-in-life/402439/54 "2007-05-02T19:26:13Z")
“If TV has taught us anything it is that TV can teach us nothing” ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2007, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-motto-in-life/402439/55 "2007-05-02T19:31:45Z")
Being easily insulted has no purpose. If they are my friends, they didn’t mean it. If they aren’t my friends, why do I care. ---
**Author:** ![Hoshi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/bbce88/32.png) [@Hoshi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoshi)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2007, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-motto-in-life/402439/56 "2007-05-02T20:59:20Z")
“If no one’s hurt, dead or getting arrested, it’s not worth stressing over.” ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2007, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-motto-in-life/402439/57 "2007-05-02T21:03:02Z")
“Always yield to anything which outweighs you by two thousand pounds.” It doesn’t come up often- but when it does, it’s a handy motto to live by. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2007, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-motto-in-life/402439/58 "2007-05-02T21:08:28Z")
“Is there blood or fire? No? Then it can wait.” ---
**Author:** ![Plan\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Plan\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plan_B)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2007, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-motto-in-life/402439/59 "2007-05-02T21:20:26Z")
“Life is too complex to live by just one motto” ---
**Author:** ![Buckwheat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/97f17d/32.png) [@Buckwheat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buckwheat)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2007, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-motto-in-life/402439/60 "2007-05-02T21:22:26Z")
“If you make people think they’re thinking they’ll love you: but if you really make them think, they’ll hate you.” -Don Marquis- [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-motto-in-life/402439.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-motto-in-life/402439.md?page=4)