Sayings that have greatly influenced your life

[StevenT]

A smart man learns from his mistakes, a wise man learns from other people's mistakes.- ?

I can't see it from my house - Alot of the carpenters/contractors I've run into.

She got the gold mine and I got the shaft. Most ex-husbands

I never went to bed with an ugly woman, but I sure woke up with a bunch of them. Hmmmmmmmmm

No more,

-Steven Turetsky S.I., N.Y.

[StevenT]

One more, I heard it for the first time in the 70's, but it sure fits, even now.

During a press interview, when asked "When there would be peace"?

The lady responded, " There will not be peace until our enemys learn to love their children more than they hate us"

The lady was Golda Meir, ex-Prime Minister of Israel

Now I'm Done,

-Steven Turetsky, S.I.,N.Y.

[Bill Kibbel]

I can't say these have "greatly influenced" me, but rather are memorable sayings that reflect my own observations at this stage of my life.

Shoot the arrow first, draw the bull’s-eye later.

It is not enough to succeed. Others must fail.

“If you want to get laid, go to college. If you want an education, go to the libraryâ€

[Brandon Chew]

These have served me well over the years as sources of inspiration and as crutches in times of need. Most recently, as I have decided to leave my job of 20 years (engineering management) in order to spend more time with my two boys (ages 7 and 5) and learn to be the best home inspector I can be:

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." ~Gandhi

"Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans." ~John Lennon

"There is no worse bitterness than to reach the end of your life and realize you haven't lived". ~M. Scott Peck

"Life is a journey. Enjoy the ride." ~Nissan advertisement

"The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know" ~author unknown

"I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who overcomes his enemies." ~Aristotle

"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does." ~ William James

"Never look down on anybody unless you're helping him up." ~ Jesse Jackson

"I don't measure a man's success by how high he climbs, but how high he bounces when he hits bottom." ~General George S. Patton

"A man's feet must be planted in his country, but his eyes should survey the world." ~George Santayana

"There is nothing noble about being superior to some other man. The true nobility is in being superior to your previous self." ~ Hindu Proverb

[mgbinspect]

"There's ALWAYS room for worse!"

This one bears a bit of explanation. Being the single dad (Mr. Mom) of three girls and one boy, one time out in the field as a bricklayer I made the old whiny statement, "It can't get any worse!"

The kindly project superintendent told the story of his son who nearly died and was permanently brain damaged through a drug overdose. He then said, if there's one thing I've learned it's this, "There's ALWAYS room for worse." I could only pause and think to myself, "God, he is so right!"

Since that day in probably 1985 I have never again said, "It can't get any worse."

It's easy to overlook how truly fortunate and blessed we are... I now have five keeper kids and three beautiful grand babies spread out from Washington state to Florida.

Life is good, but can always turn...

[mgbinspect]

Steven T,

When I worked for large commercial masonry companies I used to hear that "Can't see it from my house." saying all the time along with this one, "Ain't no church, ain't no school. It's just a little ole' warehouse."

[Brian G]

Originally posted by Joe Brown

"If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you always got."

Rapport Leadership Institute

I'm afraid they borrowed that one from AA's Big Book Joe, but it's a good one.

These probably aren't exact, but...

"A man who thinks nothing is worth dying for is not fit to live."

MLK

"Any doctrine that will not bear investigation is not a fit tenant for the mind of an honest man."

Robert Ingersol

"The reasonable man conforms to the world around him. The unreasonable man expects the world to conform to him. Therefore all progress is made by unreasonable men."

Can't remember, but it was someone famous

"I understand it is customary to pay the executioner to insure a clean job of it. Here is a grote; it is the lowest coin I know. Do your worst."

Famous English political prisoner at the executioners block, but I can't remember his name either

"If love is not a verb, then it is nothing. Having a warm and fuzzy feeling for someone else is meaningless if you aren't willing to do something about it. When you give someone your time, your effort, or otherwise extend yourself on thier behalf, then you are really loving them."

forgotten author of an article in Psycology Today, about 20 years ago

"That thing on your shoulders ain't just a hat rack."

Grandpa Goodman

Brian G.

"Man who goes to bed with itchy butt wakes up with stinky fingers."

Unknown, by my favorite as a child []

[paul burrell]

People worry to much. Most of what we worry about never happens and the little that does is never as bad as we think it will be. My wise old christian Mother told me when I was a young boy that there was nothing in "this" world worth worrying about. Of course it was decades later before I figured out what She was talking about.

Paul B.

[StevenT]

mgb,

Isn't it disheartening that "I can't see it from my house" is such a widely used expression? I fear that more people are familiar with that than some of the positive ones!

BTW... "It can't get any worse" brought to mind a saying that my mother (may she R.I.P.)told me.

"There was once a man that complained that he had no shoes until he met a man that had no feet".

I am also a single parent, even though I'm divorced six years, the battle is not over. I still find myself in court defending myself againt specious allegations. Although, I wish that my marriage worked out, I have no regrets. I have two really great sons, 12 and 14 years old. I also made a very consious decision that it was more improtant to me to spend time with them, than at the office. I find that being a good parent is a never ending learning experience, so many adjustments.

I wish there was a website like this for parenting.

Steven Turetsky, S.I., N.Y.

[Les]

I have a little framed sign - a picture of a cartoon HoBo - that has hung by the door of every office I have ever had during the past 39years; "If you're so damn smart, why ain't you rich?"

No one ever sees it when entering the office and everyone has to look at it on their way out.

Over the years I have answered that question after a few steps out of the door in various ways. Sometimes I tell myself it is because I am a "nice guy" and sometimes I tell myself "I ain't that smart". Just depends---

[mgbinspect]

Steve,

I'm convinced that if there was ever opportunity for the average man to positively and permanently change the world, it's through raising kids. It's exponential.

As far as the saying "Can't see it from my house" goes... I was standing in the street yesterday waiting for my client after performing my third new construction framing inspection this week and thinking to myself, "This is too depressing. I just don't know if I can do it anymore. The quality of new construction has literally gone to hell in a hand basket. Where do you even start?"

Yesterday it was a huge home (there all huge anymore) with a third floor gluelam girder carrying about five joists spanning 16 ft and five joists spanning 8 ft from the opposite direction all resting on one vertical 2 x 4 and a spliced door jack. All this sat on OSB sub-floor between floor joists. Below in the basement were four vertical 2 x 6s to support the same weight. The next day all this would have been covered up in drywall. It's like no one can even think anymore!

All we can do is hope to catch what goes beyond horrible into ridiculous and dangerous!

[mgbinspect]

"Follow your dreams." - unkown

[mgbinspect]

"Beauty is only skin deep."

Now, that has been an exceeding difficult lesson to learn, but after two marriages totaling 20 years on the rocks, I'm finally a believer. And, the twelve years I've been on my own have been excellent.

I think I'll hold off on looking again until I'm old and feeble. Companionship comes with a hefty price tag and if absolute freedom isn't beautiful, I don't know what is.

[StevenT]

mgb,

How did you feel when you found this potential disaster? I hope your clients appreciate you. If nothing else, by just catching that one item, you MORE than earned you fee.

The crapenter that built it, should thank you too. Hopefully it will ring a little bell in his head and he'll think more in the future. The foreman should be talked to also.

Keep up the good work... you're doing a good thing!

[Terence McCann]

Whiskey - Tango - Foxtrot.

My daughter taught me this after she was done with boot camp in the Navy.

She was never quite the same... []

[lclark]

The choices you make today, determine your future.

It's a good life, if you don't weaken.

It's a living, not a life. ( When I was an over the road truck driver.)

Thing long, think wrong.

[Erby]

This too shall pass.

[Jim Morrison]

"The world is too dangerous for anything but truth and too small for anything but love."

William Sloane Coffin, Jr.

"Be not the slave of your own past – plunge into the sublime seas, dive deep, and swim far, so you shall come back with self-respect, with new power, with an advanced experience, that shall explain and overlook the old."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Get outta bed. The sun don't shine on a sleeping dog's ass."

My Dad, who didn't write it, but sort of made it his own.

[kurt]

"Don't forget to pick up toilet paper."

Author Unknown

[hausdok]

"You want fries with that?"

Don't know about my life, but it sure influenced my waistline.

[Jim Morrison]

"More weight."

Giles Corey, 80 years old, was covered with heavy stones for refusing to answer the charge of witchcraft in Salem, MA 1692. This was his response when they asked what he had to say for himself.

[mgbinspect]

"Say what you mean and mean what you say." - I have no idea...

[Brian G]

Originally posted by Jim Morrison

"More weight."

Giles Corey, 80 years old, was covered with heavy stones for refusing to answer the charge of witchcraft in Salem, MA 1692. This was his response when they asked what he had to say for himself.

Yeah, the tough old bird died under the stones rather than make a false confession to satisfy authorities and save his own life. I'll have to classify that one with my "grote" quote. Gotta admire the grit.

Brian G.

True Grit Ain't Just a John Wayne Movie [:-dog]

[mgbinspect]

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" - unknown

The temptation to make my PCs "better" has caused me a ton of frustration.

"Here I stand, I can do no other. God, help me." - Martin Luther

More true grit. A statement and stance whose affects are just about infinite.

[Jim Baird]

"Heaven's nets are cast wide. Though their mesh is coarse, nothing gets through." Lao Tzu