@1214mom , one of. Yours is very similar to one I read years ago and really changed my interactions with people, as I’ve always been very opinionated.
“You can be right, and you can have friends, but sometimes you can’t have both”.
I’ve learned that oftentimes I don’t have to argue my point or always disagree, I’d rather have my friendship.
I’ve now heard adult son say this IRL so I guess it’s a big one for me … Do you want to be right, or do you want to solve the problem?
And specific to parenting, don’t make a threat you aren’t prepared to carry out.
I see several mottos about truth here - I’ve always loved these:
“The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.” Flannery O’Connor, who also said “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you odd.”
“The truth will set you free, but first it will p*** you off.” Gloria Steinem.
“Direction, not intention determines your destination.”
“You cannot change what you refuse to confront.”
“Hope is not a strategy.”
“Never leave easy points on the table.”
Bad news doesn’t get better with age
Love reading these quotes. Very positive and encouraging.
Overheard a young mom encouraging her son by asking him to say their family motto “the Smiths do hard things”. She was kind and patient, and spent time using those words to help son process a situation.
Sometimes wise words really can make a difference.
I always told my kids something similar, “Never pass up free points.”
“Be careful of what owns you.” That applies to a whole bunch of things, from being out of shape (gravity) to drug habits. I manage to keep my list pretty short.
“Expectations are premeditated resentments.” My wife has that on the refrigerator.
Someone sent this to me few years ago when I was going through some rough patches:
“On particularly rough days when I’m sure I can’t possibly endure, I like to remind myself that my track record for getting through bad days so far is 100% and that’s pretty good.”
This is my mother’s:
“Before you get married keep both eyes open, after you get married keep one eye shut.”
This is my father’s"
“Every stick has two ends.” (Be careful when carrying long items.)
Early in my marriage an elderly widow lady told me that she had a nice long marriage because she knew how to say, “You MAY BE right dear.” Her husband did not hear the capital letters or the word may.
My very petite daughter’s motto:
“Size matters not. Look at me…judge me by my size, do you?” - Yoda
@bajamm, lol. But I know I couldn’t pull that off…I can be diplomatic with a lot of people, but I’m simply incapable of being that diplomatic with my husband.
I think these things to myself frequently:
haha
Famous quotes to sum up my feelings and my life:
Life is what happens when you are making other plans.
She thought she could so she did.
It is better to incur a mild rebuke than to perform an onerous task.
How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.
A word is not a bird - if it flies out, it can’t be caught.
There is no universal “undo” button.
My best friend’s mother was a third grade teacher, who was remarkably good at helping some of the more challenging boys. She encouraged her class to think, “Is this for the best?” It is a great question.
My spouse often encourages me to “trust the math.” It is good advice for my work (derivations) when I am thinking in one direction, and the math points in another.
Personally, I like Phillippians 4:8, though I seem to recall a version that is not exactly the form in any of the translations I have seen, so I am putting it in brackets { . . . } to stand for “quote-like.”
{Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if there is anything that is excellent or worthy of praise–hold fast to these things.}
Also, is that a Haviland cup in your user icon, mycupoftea? I love it!