Wise things people have told you

In My Humble Opinion
141

The wisest things that fairly mediocre people have provided me are:

“You will never make the perfect buy, and if you do, you will never know it.” *

and

“There is no one, correct way to address any problem in programming; the smart programmer, however, discovers and remembers the numerous bad approaches to avoid.” **

  • From a retail district supervisor who was not an idiot, but who made a fair number of dumb decisions that affected my boss.

** From a really mediocre programmer whom I presume was quoting, without attribution, someone smarter.

142

From my father on the way to make things:

"Measure with a micrometer, mark it with a grease pencil, cut it with a chainsaw.

"If it doesn’t fit, you don’t have a big enough hammer.

“Pound to fit and paint to match.”

143

My 9th grade History teacher (30 years ago this month, oh man I’m getting old,) in the pre-internet days, was talking about learning and his approach to teaching us compared to the other History teachers in the school. He said he wasn’t going to make us remember names and dates. But how to look up and understand those names and dates.

Years later I read Robert Heinlin who said that specialization is for insects, generalization is how to live. (how I choose to remember it anyways.) Try to blend those two ideas into how I go about life.

On a specific quote on how I changed my behaviour, as an avid motorcyclist for 20+ years it’s one thing to assume all car drivers are out to kill you. I like to go fast, often. Road rash is a not just abriding away the skin but a second degree burn. A friend said that burn wards are soundproofed. Keeps my head in the game, and slowed my ass down.

144

I say this to my non-traditional students, when they exclaim “but I’ll be X years by the time I’m done with school!” My response: “With luck, you’ll be X years anyway. Might as well have the degree as well.”

145

Thanks, but you’re probably wasting your time. EVERYONE learns that on on their own. :smiley:

146

Ummm, how do you know?

147

Never eat at a place called “Moms”

Never play poker with a man named Doc

Never sleep with a woman whose problems are greater than your own.

I can personally attest to the last; never tried the first two.

Three things no man can do to the satisfaction of another:

Build a fire

Break a horse

Make love to a woman.

Above bullshit brought to you from preceding collections of “Wise Sayings”

148

Hmmm…forgot this one, from 10th grade Political Science teacher: When all else fails, read instructions.

149

Stanislav Petrov seemed to get a lot of limelight, tho’.

One from my Dad: “The thing about a tank is…anything that flies can kill it.”

Eh, maybe not applicable that much day-to-day, but still good to remember.

150

“I’ll give you something to cry about” was one of the best pieces of “advice” my parents ever gave me. Learned me to shut the hell up and stop whining/crying. I feel like a lot of people never got this line (and the follow up discipline when it was ignored), as many adults grow up to be professional whiners and crybabies.

151

Don’t ever let anyone tell you you can’t do something. Not even me. You got a dream, you got to protect it. People can’t do something themselves so they want to tell you that you can’t do it. If you want something. Go get it. Period.

152

You cannot fix stupid.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. But you cannot have your own facts.

153

One I’ve been telling myself is: don’t feel sorry for yourself before you’ve tried everything.

154

Thought of this thread today at work. I run a little machine shop and have a bunch of jobs to do. Mind is going a mile a minute of what to do next or who to keep happy. I repeat to myself sometimes, “Do what’s in front of you.” Finished the 30 parts on the bench in front of me, then moved on. While doing that task, don’t waste the energy thinking too much ahead. In that hour it’s not doing any good but getting myself crazy.

155

The only bit of advice my dad ever gave me about women. I don’t know the exact quote but something like this

" The most dangerous women on earth are the ones that are overly eager to have you defend thier honor, stay the hell away from them"

156

He who owns much, has much to lose.

The cost of anything is the amount of life spent to acquire the thing.

157

Socializing is like a muscle. It gets more or less fit as you use it or not. BROTHER
Don’t shit where you sleep. FOSTER PARENT
If you tell you parents about this, God won’t like you. CATHOLIC PRIEST (Just kidding)

The last post I didn’t realize that it couldn’t be by [who I think are] giants of man.