Wisdom to Heed

A compendium of proverbs, sayings and expressions deployed within the family for purposes general and specific.

 

• “A man should accomplish four things in his life: Plant a tree, Have a son, Write a book, and Build a house.” – My father, via Uncle Patrick, via German Swami Gauribala
• “Foolish names and foolish faces are often seen in public places.” – Grandma Hon, Allah yarhamha
  • Grandma Hon never lived to meet an Influencer but she knew a fool when she saw one
• “A man thinks with his generation.” – My father.
• “Nothing is so permanent as that which is temporary” – J.P. Figa, my old boss.
• “The test of fluency in a language is being able to tell a joke.”  – My father.  
• “Memory is an act of the imagination.” – Uncle Sam, age 95.
• “If you can convince somebody that white bread is food, you can convince him of anything.” – Amiri Baraka, as heard by my father.

• “Never wise up a chump.” – My father.
• “The important thing is to avoid being crushed under the wheel of history.” – My father.
• “Poverty is not a virtue.” – My father.
• “No Culture without Agriculture.” – Goviya Mudiyanse Tennekoon
• “God saves who He wills and thrashes the rest.” – Uncle Pat

• “Scratch a liberal, strike a pig.” – My father.
• “The world belongs to those who know what to do with garbage.” – My Mother
• “Don’t raise a child you can’t live with.” – The late great J.B. Graham
• “Walk fast, nobody’ll notice.” – Grandpa Gene
  • Application: wardrobe malfunctions, bad haircuts, etc.
• “Rich or poor, it’s good to have money.” – Grandpa Jules
• “Der Dreidel Dreitzach.” – Grandpa Jules
  • Yiddish for “The wheel turns.”  Quite likely misspelled.

• “Youth is wasted on the young.” – My father, attributed to George Bernard Shaw.
• “Tough sledding when there’s no snow.” – Grampa Gene
• “The city, yes. The country, maybe. The suburbs, never.” – MyFather
  • After decades of city living, Dad did in fact move to the country to start farming.  Evidently I misheard this one growing up and moved out of the country instead.
• “The man with the plan always wins.” – The late great J.B. Graham
• “Follow the path that has heart.” – The late great J.B. Graham
• “You just have to make sense to your own damn self.” – The late great J.B. Graham
• “All wisdom comes from experience, and all experience comes from foolishness.” – My Father
• “Ain’t no fun unless the job’s done.” – My Father
  • Ok, actually it is Flavor Flav, but I can’t exactly credit him when I’m dispensing wisdom to my children, can I?

Additional wisdom for the ages will be preserved at the top of the list as circumstances warrant.

Warning: Bin Gregory Productions cannot be held responsible for consequences arising from failure to heed all this wisdom.