The 10 Wisest Things I Ever Heard
October 19th, 2009 by Bob Bly
1–You play the hand you’re dealt.
2–Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is feeling the fear and doing it anyway.
3–There is no “try.” There is only do or not do. (Yoda)
4–It’s not just what happens to you; it’s also how you handle it.
5–Be happy while you’re living, for you’re a long time dead. (Scottish proverb)
6–Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.
7–Do something you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.
8–Life is unfair.
9–Be second, not first; the pioneers are the ones who get arrows in their backs.
10–Live below your means.
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October 19th, 2009 at 6:57 pm
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October 19th, 2009 at 10:30 pm
You left out one of your OWN favorites, Bob! “Live beneath your means.” Here’s one of my favorites: “The secret of success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.” — Winston Churchill
October 20th, 2009 at 4:05 am
My favorite - If you do not know where you are going, every road will get you nowhere. Henry Kissinger
October 20th, 2009 at 6:38 am
Richard: You are right and I will fax my error ASAP. I also like the Churchill — AND Ryan’s Kissinger.
October 20th, 2009 at 7:51 am
Benjamin Franklin and Yoda in the same post. That is truly the sign of a worldly copywriter.
These are great.
Here is one that I am sure you will appreciate and one I keep posted nearby…
From Ogilvy (opening to his quintessential “On Advertising”):
“I run the risk of being denounced by the idiots who hold that advertising technique which has been in use for more than two years is ipso facto obsolete.”
October 20th, 2009 at 8:42 am
An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
October 20th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
Hi Bob,
Good stuff! I actually had each of my kids memorize #4 when they were small. I used to begin the sentence and they would finish it. As teenagers I’m not sure its the first thing that comes to mind now.
I also hope none of my current target customers read your blog (ref. #9) any time soon. I am working with a small manufacturing company to introduce a new piece of equipment to the supermarket industry - it has been beta tested for more than a year, but it is now time for someone to be first.
About 10 years ago I was working as a consultant to help a company introduce one of their existing equipment lines to Ford Motor Co. (installed in other automakers, but not in Ford at the time.) We were working closely with a director level engineer who was excited about what the product could do to significantly reduce some production cost in one of the Cleveland plants. A couple of months into working with him to demo the equipment and justify the concept in his plant he found out we had no other installs in Ford and promptly tabled the project, citing his own version of your #9 - saying he never goes first. slr
October 21st, 2009 at 4:21 pm
Number two is one of my favorites.
I also like Benjamin Disraeli’s quote, “Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action.”
October 21st, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Great list - let me add a fav of mine, courtesy of Robert Heinlein.
TANSTAAFL
There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.
October 24th, 2009 at 1:12 am
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October 25th, 2009 at 11:16 am
Brett: I didn’t know Heinlein said that, though of course I know the saying AND I have read a lot of Heinlein. Thanks!
October 26th, 2009 at 5:21 am
What I like most are the points in numbers 2, 7, 8 and 10. #2 - Courage is what we need during hard times in our lives. #7 - If you love what you’re doing, you won’t even mind if it took you a day doing it alone. #8 - Life is unfair. You can’t get everything you want, even if you make lots of sacrifices. #10 - Live below your means. I don’t know, most people I know are living beyond what they really can. Maybe that’s the reason why credit cards are made!
October 26th, 2009 at 11:30 am
These are some great quotes; I especially like number four, how you handle what happens to you says a lot about your perseverance, and will to succeed. I also like Brett’s comment: TANSTAAFL, I haven’t heard that one since college.