I don’t know about any of you, but there are a few sentences that can sum up for me how I try to live my life.
The first is:
“Don’t do anything you’ll regret in time, and do anything you’d regret not doing.”
That was it, but another came to me today, and I like it so much I’m going to add it: “You can’t always win, so how would you rather lose?”
Any other pithy or profound statements that describe your take on life?
Mine is try anything once… twice if you like it.
Whenever someone is criticizing me or I find myself being overly critical OR I hear people being critical of others, I remember the best thing my friend Steve ever said,
YOU worry about YOU
jarbaby
It’s ok to believe in constants, as long as you don’t have standards.
It’s ok to have standards, as long as you don’t believe in constants.
It’s when you believe in constants and have standards that you’re likely to have (or cause) trouble, as the world may not necessarily follow the rules you set for it.
Anyway, that’s what seems to be working for me right now. I make no promises as to what I’ll believe in the future.
–sublight.
Never turn down free food, free beer, free money, or free sex.
If I’m lost, I’ll be lost at 60 mph.
Hi Opal!
Choose your battles wisely.
I decide how I am going to feel each day when I look in the mirror in the morning.
I trust everyone until they give me a reason not to.
But what do I know?
Its short on pith or profundity, but…
Work hard, have fun, relax, and try to continue to learn. Its a big world out there.
Dave
Live and Let Live covers most of it.
The rest can be summed up “I always admire the determined man who will make the same mistake not twice, but a thousand times.”
I say try anything once…if you don’t like it, try it again just in case you were doing it wrong the first time.
As hard as it is to do sometimes, my philosophy is to try to accept the world for what it is, and try to love it.
The titanic was designed by professionals. It still sunk.
Don’t Worry, it shortens your time to have fun.
Choose your battles, if you must fight.
Don’t open your mind so much that your brains fall out.
The one I try to do most is:
Great people talk about ideas, average people talk about things, small people talk about people. I try to stick to average or above. I find talking about other people is boring, I would much rather just talk about myself 
My second one is in my sig.
Try to change what you can. Try to accept what you cannot change. Try to know the difference.
Damn, UncleBill beat me to it. It works, though. Most people respond favorably to be given your trust without having to prove themselves worthy first. If they don’t, at least then you know.
Let’s see, my favourites that pretty much sum up my attitude towards life:
Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
No regrets.
TANSTAAFL - Heinlein’s philosophy which is still totally true (There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch)and its corollary - If it sounds to good to be true, it is.
And the old classic previously mentioned: Live and Let Live.
Shit happens. Deal with it.
AND
Fuck 'em if they can’t take a joke.
My personal philosophy?
Whoever enters your life, try to touch their life in a positive way. This includes the cranky people, the people who drive you nuts at work, the driver who cuts you off on the freeway, the homeless person who asks you for money.
Give of yourself as much as you can.
Treat the people you love with respect, and love them when they don’t seem to deserve it. Believe that they DO deserve it, they are just having a bad day.
If a job is worth doing, it is worth doing well. If you feel that it is NOT worth doing well, it is not worth doing. At least by you. Respect the people who DO feel it is worth doing.
Try to help. If you can’t help, get out of the way of people who CAN help.
Don’t judge anyone else until you have “walked in their shoes” and know, really KNOW what they are going through. And even then, recognize that no one goes through things the same way as anyone else does. Actually, I think that “Don’t judge anyone else” says it better.
Be honest, but with love and caring.
Be true to what you believe.
Of course, for me the words of Jesus sum all of this up. “Love thy neighbor as thyself.”
I wish I could do all of these things all of the time…I can’t, but I try.
Scotti
The concise version? Be completely honest in both word and action. With yourself and others.
Oops, I forgot an important one.
Learn to forgive, both others and yourself.
This one is really difficult, especially (for me, anyway) learning to forgive yourself.
Freedom, afterall, is the ability to live with the consequences of your decisions.
We may pass violets looking for roses.
We may pass contentment looking for victory.
If it ain’t broke, fix it til it is.
Never let schoolin’ interfere with education.
Learn something new every day.
Try to make everyone I meet laugh.
Forgot a few:
People change not because they see the light, but because they feel the heat.
There will never be enough money
do not speak unless you can improve the silence. (more people should make this their mantra.)