i’ve compiled some bits of wisdom that i have encountered over the years. several clever & concise turns of phrase that i want to remember, and would like to keep near and also available for others. this list was started with out other business, and specific to style, but many carry over to mr. fxr also. if you have any you would like to add, please leave in the comments below.

business

“quality never costs as much as not having it.

“what we do is not easy. it’s supposed to be hard. if it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. the hard is what makes us great.” – ogden gear collection

“great minds face the greatest opposition from mediocre ones” – albert einstein

make your choice, adventurous stranger,
strike the bell and bide the danger,
or wonder, till it drives you mad
what would have followed if you had.” – c.s. lewis ‘tales of narnia’

“consumer data show convenience is the #1 priority. unlike our nearest competitor, we will intentionally cannibalize stores to bring convenience of shopping to our customers.” – robert nardelli, home depot CEO regarding overbuilding

“all men dream, but not equally. some men dream at night, then wake realizing they were just dreaming and it vanishes. then there are other men who dream their dreams in the full light of day and realize those dreams. – t. lawrence ‘7 pillars of wisdom’

“brothers from another mother”

“in a world of endless choices, mankind apparel steps in as your personal filtering service.”

“give yourself permission.”

“one small step for your wallet, one giant leap for your image.”

“think for yourself.”

“our most powerful advocates are not and can’t be bought. every time a powerful advocate accepts a bribe in exchange for an endorsement, his power and popularity decreases. the public begins to realize that you are motivated by more than taste. the public is far more likely to listen to an endorsement free from personal gain.” – good response to those that propose to help us out if we hook them up. no one gives an endorsement as a personal favor, they do it because it’s remarkable, thought-provoking, cool, etc.”

“don’t expect what you don’t inspect” – zig ziglar

“there are two rules for success: 1.) don’t tell all you know….

new word – repurposing . . . (reruns) “reruns are a way of getting more value for an expensive product. i’d love to have new and original 22 hrs/wk 52 wks/yr, but financially that’s not possible. repurposing is clearly the profitable choice.” – NBC VP.

“the anticipation is what people pay for when they buy most anything. the feeling of self satisfaction. the way their purchase feels in the bag. the dream of how it’s going to make them happier or more attractive . . . tomorrow. in practice, the item itself is way less important. what is important is the dream.”

“the formula for the con is no different from that of the corporation, they are base upon one priniple – self gain” – billy “salt” peters, confidence man

political

“the mass of mankind has not been born with saddles on their backs, nor a favored few, booted and spurred, ready to ride them.” – thomas jefferson

“candidates without ideas, hiring consultants without convictions to run campaigns without content.” – president gerald ford

“the language of love and the language of seduction are the same” – richard wurmbrand referring to communists slowly gaining power in his mother country of rumania in his book “tortured for Christ”. he also said “in the depth of my heart, i would like to keep the beauty of my own vineyard and not be involved in such a huge fight.”

“every generation needs to know that freedom exists not to “do what you like”, but having the right to do what you ought to. when it comes to a dollar sign, many of us look the other way.” – james caviezel

“in the primaries, where the turnout is so low, intensity of feeling and organization often trumps numbers on the other side. “ – carl grafton political science professor at auburn university montgomery responding to opinion that the “ten commandments judge” roy moore former chief justice did not have a strong enough political position to be a major player in the state’s primary for a congressional seat and/or one of the three state supreme court seats. he became a hero of the religious right last summer for defying a federal court order to remove a 2.5 ton granite monument of the ten commandments from the rotunda of the alabama judicial building. he was thrown off the bench by a judicial ethics panel because of his refusal.

“the day people stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them.” – colin powell ‘my american journey’

regarding the draft – “liberals are betting that a reinstated draft would institutionalize anti-war sentiment and forment class warfare.”

“clearly the camera is the most feared weapon of choice, with the megaphone a close second. since everyone is watching tv or surfing the net instead of reading a book, the pen has been relagated to 4th, with the sword coming up last.” – chris whittaker on facebook

regarding popularity – “some do better when viewed as simply “the other choice”. when people actually focus on the person themselves, they aren’t thrilled with what they see.” – modified from a USA today editorial regarding kerry’s lack of “bounce” after the DNC in boston.

”if you hit them with hypotheticals, they will do a little dance, but if you hit them with the facts, they’ve got to answer or they will look dumb.” – bill o’reilly regarding liberals

“i’ll take 80%, rather than ride off a cliff waving a flag.” – ronald reagan

false – “the odds that a home will be the scene of a homicide are much greater if there’s a gun in the home.” the study merely attests to the fact that people who live in high crime neighborhoods tend to own guns. on that theory of causation, hospitals must cause people to die, because lots of people die after being admitted to a hospital.

yale study in the 60’s by stanley milgram – members of the public willingly administered what they thought were fatal electric shocks to another human being – simply because they were told to do so by an authority figure.

“john kerry’s (senator botox) life experience consists of living off other men’s money by marrying their wives and daughters. his experience dealing with tax problems is base on spending his entire adult life marrying a succession of heiresses and living off the fortunes amassed by other man. what does a kept man know about taxes?”

“the essence of the modern democratic party is that they are willing to insult the intelligence of 49 percent of the people if they think they can fool 51 percent of the people.”

“laws that forbid the carrying of arms . . . disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes . . . such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants, they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man.” – thomas Jefferson

”liberals can lie under oath in legal proceedings and it’s a “personal matter”. conservatives must scream their every failing from the rooftops or they are “liars”.”

”president bush has never said that fetal stem cells cannot be used for research. he said “federal money” cannot be used to fund such research. if leading scientists believed this research would prove to be so fruitful in curing alzheimer’s, why is the private sector money not pouring in hand over fist? do you realize how many billions a cure for alzheimers would be worth? how about a cure for middle aged baldness?”

”conservative radio talk-show hosts have a built-in audience unavailable to liberals: people driving cars to some sort of job.”

”in this age of “sound bites”, so many comments carry the baggage of supposition, that if not addressed, will be accepted along with the superficial comment.”

“judges make decisions at their own peril, it’s up to us to see that it’s perilous.”

”today’s filibuster isn’t one at all. the traditional filibuster kept the senate in session all night, and the filibustering senator either persuaded his colleagues or wore himself and his arguments out. today this is “filibuster lite” in which a senator speaks for an hour or two and the debate is suspended. if they want a real filibuster, make them engage in the real thing.”

“it is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong” – voltaire

personal

”don’t put me in your box. inexperience has never stopped me before. you’ve got to start somewhere. if you’ve got some advice to give, then let’s hear it, it’s not like it’s rocket science.”

“differ your desires to fulfill your destiny.”

“adventure is putting into motion one’s ignorance.”

“chance only favors the prepared mind.” – pasteur

“one day can make your life, one day can ruin your life. all life is are four or five big days that change everything.”

“the wealthiest people in the world are not better than you, they just have access to different information, and when they get it, they apply it.”

“(fire your boss) approach means focusing on life, not on your job. you are not your job. careers are passé. there’s no such thing as job security or reward for loyal service. hardly anyone climbs the corporate ladder. temps and outsourcing are the future of corporate america. fire your boss. envision a day when people meet and they ask each other about their lives, not about their jobs or what they do for a living. no one hires a stranger, it’s who you know.”

“someone who is nice to you, but not nice to the waiter is not a nice person” – dave barry

“thinking back on my own early years – “i can’t quite remember who that guy was. i wonder if I would have liked him. i wasn’t aware of what other’s perceptions of him were. what I believed others thought of him may have been far from the reality.” – greg of mankind

“everything that ever happened almost didn’t.” – rick byer author of ‘the greatest stories almost never told’

”your attempt to marginalize me personally indicates that you can’t prove your point, or I’ve struck a nerve.” – greg of mankind

“i want to look at things without distortion. it reminds me of a line in beckett when the king says, “why must you destroy all my illusions?” and the man answers, “because you should have none, my prince.” – frank sinatra – as told to a reporter in an interview for the washington post after the kidnapping of his son frank sinatra, jr. (age 20).

“it’s not about having what you want, it’s about wanting what you’ve got.” – gonna soak up the sun – sheryl crow

“tattoos are the mark of less than serious people.”

“the truly educated never graduate.”

“forgiveness is easier than permission.”
“an ombudsman is someone who handles complaints and attempts to find mutually satisfactory solutions.”
”why do I live in mississippi? there are fewer narrow minded kool-aid drinking elitists. – greg of mankind

“you can ask, you can challenge, but you can’t berate.” – bill o’reilly

“favor is preparation and opportunity.”

“being in L.A. Is like being a cinder in hell, flames all around and nobody notices you in this really evil place.”

“at what point will the price of your ignorance be great enough to get your attention?” – greg of mankind 10/15/03

“always guess the cliche and you won’t be disappointed.”

“gossip and news are a universal national language. you can have something to converse about with anyone, anywhere.”

“gossip is the new pornography.”

“he who thinketh he leadeth, and hath no one following him, is only taking a walk.”

“the bible says to be a witness, not an attorney.” – ‘purpose driven life’

“beauty is no substitute for personality.”

“you never know when some little overheard story or image can find a place in your work.”

“my friend’s boyfriend just broke up with her. when I asked why she was crying because she was going to break up with him anyway, she said, “i had to say goodbye to the hopes and dreams that were never going to work out.”

”one should always aim at being interesting rather than exact.”

“familiarity breeds contempt.”

“after eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good, he started roaring. he kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. the moral: when you’re full of bull, keep your mouth shut.” – texas bix binder

“i’m aware it was a bold move, one of those impulses that grabs you, but so far we’re OK.” – jack nicholson

“regarding assume and presume. in many contexts when the meaning is ‘ to suppose’, the two words are interchangeable: e.g. I assume/presume you are coming to the party. but, as the pocket fowler’s modern english usage points out, ‘fowler (1926) maintained that there is a stronger element of postulation or hypothesis in assume and of a belief held on the basis of external evidence in presume.
assume suppose to be the case, without proof.presume suppose that something is the case on the basis of probability; take for granted that something exists or is the case.

“spoken of a certain woman – ”love and hate are horns on the same goat.”

“an imposing or withdrawn (unapproachable) personality can have negative consequences. if people do not feel that they can communicate to you directly, they will do so indirectly about you with anyone and everyone that they know. either to try to understand you, or maliciously so it will get back to you without them having to confront you directly. it’s a quick way to become a target and/or get your business spread around. many will attempt to avoid the imposing personality. – greg 5/6/04

”the bonds of friendship can be sealed by actions during times of difficulty.” – greg of mankind (before lance’s mother’s wake)

“you can always tell when someone isn’t telling the truth, because he doesn’t speak clearly. euphemism is always a cover for either ignorance or dishonesty. in other words, if you can’t state it in a clear, simple, declarative sentence, either you don’t know what you are talking about, or your trying to prevent me from understanding what your talking about and both bug me.” – tucker carlson PBS

“that sounds like half a sentence to me . . . what’s the other half?” – dr. phil to a girl who wasn’t sure whether she wanted to remain married or not. she had said her husband was a nice guy, but . . .

”when you have a lot of free time and money, that’s when trouble comes. i’m keeping busy.”

“whenever I get into trouble or I’m unhappy, it’s because things are wildly out of balance. when you cultivate equanimity in your life and your work, clarity comes. and out of clarity come energy and strength in your decisions. hopefully, that’s one of the pleasures of getting older. you get clearer about certain patterns. i feel like you learn your deepest instincts intuitively. it’s in that place of curiosity and vulnerability that the most interesting things happen.” – willem dafoe. june 2004 interview

”80% of all questions are statements in disguise.” – dr. phil from oprah

“worrying is less work than doing something to fix the worry. everybody wants to save the earth, nobody wants to help mom with the dishes. – p.j. o’rourke, all the trouble in the world
(“i’d like to add that this kind of laziness combined with comments from the afore mentioned person designed to instigate are just as insidious as apathy. some are critics who want to tell someone else what to do and how to do it which gives the impression that they are in charge, but none of those same people wants to do the work. – greg of mankind)

”labels are for narrow minded people who have trouble perceiving nuance.” – greg of mankind

”talk to people, even when you don’t need something.” – max carey

”ignorance is relative to where you are standing” – burt reynolds
(where you are from has no bearing on IQ, only ignorance on issues that are not usually connected to your personal sphere – greg of mankind)

”women here are exotic and beautiful, but it’s like you’re in a zoo. you look around thinking, wow, look at all the pretty animals. then one opens it’s mouth and speaks, you’re like, holy crap, the monkey’s talking to me.” – benjamin mckenzie on women in LA

acknowledge fear – young author of ‘a series of unfortunate events’ lemony snicket was concerned about bears when camping. instead of his father saying “don’t be scared”, or “the chances of a bear attack are pretty slim”, he said “if we get attacked by bears, i’ll double your allowance.”

”ideas change abruptly and can continue to be embraced by the public long after scientists have abandoned them, decades longer. like the left/right brain theory. by 1980 it is clear that the notion is wrong, and that the two sides of the brain do not work separately in a healthy person.” – michael crichton ‘state of fear’

”some people could argue both sides of a mobius strip.” – (twisted ring of paper which technically possesses only one side)

”it is possible to own too much. a man with one watch knows what time it is; a man with two watches is never quite sure.” – lee segall

”people are not only getting dumber, but more opinionated as well.”

“if someone makes the lame statement, “i guess I should apologize.” ask them if they are working up to it or what?”

”always address the suppositions in questions.” – for instance, “before I can answer that, your question supposes ___________ .”

”the thrill of a frank moment is fleeting.” – greg of mankind.

”it’s not enough to just possess knowledge, it’s just as important that it is applied.” – greg of mankind

”being underestimated provides certain advantages over those who underestimate me.” – greg of mankind 5/27/05 another variation is “being underestimated may be my greatest advantage.”

“the great ambition of a woman is to inspire love.”

”the truth can be found only by exploring the extremes.” – character from ‘howards end’ by w.m. forster

“there are two ways of saying no to someone you believe to be stronger than yourself. the first is to say nothing and go on doing what you were doing before and pretend that you never heard, allow time and inertia to be your allies. and the second is to say no in such a kind and thoughtful way that if befuddles them. if both strategies fail, there is nothing left but to relent.”

”meditation is concentrating the front of the mind with a mundane task so the rest of the mind can find peace.” – layer cake

“did you ever consider how much energy you’ve wasted over your 47 years mustering up that smarmy smile and that insincere handshake?” – unknown movie

“common sense rejects as illogical any conclusion accompanied by blatant flaws” – the pyramids, an enigma solved – by dr. joseph davidovits and margie morris

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religious

“spiritual maturity is moving from confident arrogance to thoughtful uncertainty” – randall arthur

“woe unto you, scribes and pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead [men’s] bones, and of all uncleanliness. even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.”

“falsehood often wears the robes of commonly accepted truths.”

“in a fleshly tomb, I am buried above ground.”

”he that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears.” – proverbs 26:17

”speaking the truth is better than speaking in tongues.” – wayne deaton 3/19/03

“beliefs form values, and values drive behavior.”

“don’t waste time on a fool.” – titus

regarding vegetarians – 1 timothy 4
(1) now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; (2) speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; (3) forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. (4) for every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: (5) for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

“popular culture has always trivialized morality.” – bill o’reilly 1/20/04

“the longer i live, the more i realize the impact of attitude on life. attitude to me is more important than facts. it is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. it is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. it will make or break a company …a church …a home. the remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. we cannot change our past …we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. we cannot change the inevitable. the only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude …i am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how i react to it. and so it is with you …we are in charge of our attitudes.” – charles (chuck) swindoll american author, pastor

*NKJ Romans 16:17-18
(17) now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. (18) for those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.

”anyone who says he has the answer, will attract people, albeit religion, finances, etc.”

“the phrase “touch not God’s anointed and the labeling of spiritual counsel as gossip is used as a control mechanism to squelch critical thought in church circles. it’s a sad, tired form of oppression.” – greg of mankind

Deut 22:11 – thou shall not wear garment of diverse sorts as of woolen and linen together. – that’s interesting! what’s up with that?

health

“the health benefits of any given food go well beyond the sum of it’s parts.” – the ‘herb quarterly’ winter 2003

“the debate on medical malpractice fails to address where the battle really lies: the 5% of physicians who cause 95% of the malpractice lawsuits and the 95% of physicians who protect them. get rid of the small number of doctors responsible for most of the malpractice. until doctors stop protecting their own and drive the 5% out of the profession, and out of reach of the unsuspecting public, the medical malpractice battle will never end.” – USA today.

”all drug companies are publicly owned and traded companies. they have a fiduciary responsibility to their shareholders to increase earnings.”

art

“imagination without skill gives us contemporary art.” – tom stopper’s play ‘artist ascending a staircase’

”the artist is nothing without the gift, and the gift is nothing without work.” – heard on dave ramsey radio show 5/25/04

”an artist never really finishes his work; he merely abandons it.” – paul velery

“the principal mark of genius is not perfection, but originality.” – authur koestler