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Patty Craig: A Slice of Time

Recently, I heard a lady say, “Mama said there’d be days like this.” Of course, that saying was a song by The Shirelles in the 1960s. We often use sayings to express ourselves. According to Wikipedia, a saying is an expression that is especially memorable because of its meaning or structure. Sayings emerge from many sources, and we all have our favorites.

 

Sayings are quite common in daily conversation. I asked friends and family, “Is there a quote or saying that you like? (Example: ‘Mama said there’d be days like this.’).” Their responses were:

•Just keep swimming (Dory, Finding Nemo).

•Tom Brokaw wrote a book about Vietnam prisoners of war (POWs). One of the comments of one of the POWs was: “It’s a good day when the door knob is on your side of the door.” Simple, but profound – the freedom to choose. That stuck with me; it says a lot.

•I like, “Chin up, princess, or the crown slips.”

•That’s the pot calling the kettle black. 

•It takes one to know one.

•Treat others as you would like to be treated (Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Luke 6:31).

•When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!

•Actions speak louder than words.

•My family often told me: “Don’t eat that!” or “Get that out of your mouth!” 

•In an example of life’s irony, there is Murphy’s Law: anything that can go wrong will go wrong at the worst possible time. On the flip side, every cloud has a silver lining.

•There are people who would love to have your bad days.

•Truth is the first casualty of war.

•The truth is neither sought after nor rewarded.

•Authority forgets a dying king.

•Nursing is learned. The heart of caring is a gift.

•If you can’t be kind, be quiet. 

•Where there is a will, there is a way.

•If you lay with dogs, you get fleas.

•I reckon….

•It’s as broad as it is long.

•For work: “Not my circus, not my monkeys.”

•Pretty is as pretty does. I’ve heard this all my life. I think it more often than I say it. My Mamaw always said this, meaning no matter how pretty you are, that doesn’t matter if you don’t act pretty.

•Tomorrow I will make better mistakes.

•Marriage is actually just a nice word for adopting a fully grown man who can’t take care of himself.

•It is what it is.

•My dad always told me, “It takes money to make money.” I found that to be so true. Another I always found myself thinking at work was the Peter Principle: “People are eventually promoted to their level of incompetence.”

•I always talk to my students about the Oscar Wilde quote, “To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people simply exist.” We talk about what it really means to live. It’s always relevant to seniors because they are about to head off and try to leave their mark on the world.

•Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

•People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel (Maya Angelou).

•This too shall pass.

 

Sayings are a concise way to help us express our thoughts. I frequently think: “Just do it.” These words were a Nike slogan launched in 1988, and my late husband would use it to encourage me to do the things I dreaded. For me, those three words mean: “Stop analyzing, and get busy.” Sayings really do come from countless sources.

 
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