What wise words from your upbringing still ring in your ears today or even some nonsensical sayings? For example:
Words I say to my own:
The Gnostic Delegation A Short Story by Tony Killinger I remember how the three of us sat in a booth of an old fashioned diner…
Battling the Demons A Short Story by Tony Killinger “But the unclean spirit, when he is gone out of the man, passes through waterless places,…
I’ll Remember Too A Short Story by Tony Killinger I wonder now, looking back over the valley of so many years, if I thought there…
Ian Brady and Myra Hindley The Moors murders were carried out by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley between July 1963 and October 1965, in and…
Letting Go, Beginning Again by Helen Sophie Whelan Amelia Daxton had enough of life. She needed somewhere to go, make a new start, and yet…
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When I was a teenager my dad would always say as I was going out the door n the evening, “keep you nose clean”. I knew what he meant and it still rings in my ears now and then.
In other words behave, keep out of trouble………good advice……..
Yep and more specifically behave with girls. I was. [g]
When I posted my sign I used when I was single as a widower on the Senior Chatters. I got two responses today.
WANTED GOOD WOMAN
Must be able to cook, clean, sew, and take care of six children
Must have a John Deere Tractor
PLEASE SEND PICTURE OF TRACTOR
I was always told by my parents ” If you take a girl on a date and mess around you may have to marry her. So I mostly went on double dates and never found a girl in Iowa I cared to marry, Then went to California with the Air Force and was engaged in 3 months and married in 6 months with a girl that invited me home to visit her parents after we talked 20 minutes at the high school USO dance, I did not even know how to dance but we had our own dance and it produced 6 kids,.
I was always told do not mess around with my girl when I took her on a date.
By the door I noticed her dad had a shotgun and I never had her home late.
I was always told before going to school each morning , be sure you have on clean underwear. You might get in an accident.
Haaaa………..as good a reason as any……..nothing to do with personal hygiene then…………just in case of accidents…..
Yep, that is one I heard all the time. lol
If living at home yet and going on a date I would be told. Be home by 10PM and don’t be late or your dating days may end.
That one wouldn’t wash today………
If you do not know how to skate.
That is not the place to a girl on a date.
Never heard that one……..I’m guessing its because you would look like “Bambi “on ice………..not a good look when trying to impress……
Forget suicide…You,d regret it in the morning.
Has to be some logic there somewhere……..but I don’t know what……lol….
Don’t talk to strangers was said to us kids when the County fair was in town.
Heard that one plenty……
“Never, ever volunteer for anything.” I wish I’d listened.
“A stitch in time saves nine” and it does….do that job when it is small.
“Count your own pennies and wealth will grow” Look after your own finances.
Sat down too long, my Mother would get us up to do some work by saying as we sat..”.this will not buy the baby a new frock,” In other words, get working.
“No good crying over spilt milk” What is done is done, stop crying and do something to make it right..
“There’s always two doors out of a problem.” Nothing is hopeless.
“Empty vessels make a lot of noise”. People who boast and talk up a lot about what they have got, done etc usually have very little to crow about.
” They always flog a willing horse”. If you do too much for someone, they will expect more and more.
Then were all those graduations of uselessness. “As useless as a chocolate teapot”. “As much use as a dog with no bark” A useless task, ‘Was shovelling smoke”.
One I never understood… If Mother was told some shocking, startling news, she and local people would say…….”Well I’ll go to the foot of our stairs”.
Then all the weather ones..” Red sky at night.shepherd’s or sometimes sailor’s delight.” this told it would be a nice day tomorrow. “Rain before seven sun before eleven.” N’er cast a clout till May be out.” Don’t put your woollen underwear away until after May. All these old sayings , Mum had one for every thing, I wonder will they survive?
Lots still around today Rock……I think we pass them on……..one my dad use to use and my grandson will still use it occasionally today, in all fairness it was one my dad made up and its not very nice…lol…….if any food looked unappetising he would say…….it looks like a monkeys miscarriage…….Yorkshire through and through…..
Apparently the red sky at night, shepherd delight, red sky in the morning shepherds warning is something to do with the sun and the earths mantle and is a scientific fact!
And a friend of mine once said that it is not when May the month is out but when the may flowers have bloomed.
Only ever heard don’t cast a clout till May is out……..don’t think it would be fitting very much now with the climate change……flowers seem to be blooming out of the seasons as we know them…
Wise after the event eh……lol…..
Wise after the event…….. for you Way…..just wont go under your name……..my reply is intent on keeping its distance from you…….lol..
Wise after the event eh……..
Recorded by Sandy Powel……..just one verse of a poem my dad would quote…
Hear all, see all, say nowt,
Eat all, drink all, pay nowt.
It’s a long time remember
from January to December
So hear all, see all, say nowt,
Eat all, sup all, pay nowt
And if ever thy does owt fer nowt
Always do it fer th’sen.
You’re the oldest, show by example.
I didn’t have an opportunity to be mischievous; my younger brother did enough badness for the 5 of us kids.
So being the eldest and trying to teach by example obviously had no effect on your younger brother………so that bit of advice didn’t work…….not on the younger brother anyway………
I got that one too, even though there were three of us seperated in age by 2 years 3 months!
Bit unfair that one……..never getting the chance to be norty….Tut Tut….lol
Neither a lender or borrower be…I remember that one and it is quite wise. I’m the eldest but did not get told to set a good example, just to look after them! Coming from the North of England, all those uncompromising Yorkshie values were held as true Starlitte and especially the belief that people who were too eager to please, too charming…were not to be trusted on the whole.
A borrower nor a lender be – that is one both my Nan and my Dad used to say. The logic being if you don’t borrow you will never be in debt and if you don’t lend you will not be owed.
Heard that one………..easy to lend but can be a very awkward when you don’t get back……..I have items I lent out and never got back, even a vid with precious memories on it was lent out and taped over………so no more ………money I have lent out and got it back in dribs and drabs……..so that’s a good one to live by…..
One of the most common expressions, “An old dog cannot learn new tricks”. I guess we are not old as long as we are learning new tricks.
On lending and borrowing, we need to understand the difference between lending and giving. I gave my sister a large sum of money and she had no means at the time to pay it back. She had lost her job. She got back on her feet and insisted on paying it back. I borrowed money from family and knew when I could pay them back. A loan is reasonably expected to be paid back. A loan may be a gift when you know it cannot be paid back in the foreseeable future. I believe in generosity. I was taught generosity. “One hand washes the other”.
Good of you to help your sister out and for her to insist on paying it back……..I am generous in giving good stuff away I no longer want……….money I am not, never had any given to me, I save and one day that will go where I want it to go…….if in genuine need I would lend……..
Thank you . Starlette. We just grew up helping each other. It may be good but it is also smart. Sometimes a little help does not hurt the giver but makes a huge difference. The next time it may be you who needs extra money. I guess we all should have been better savers. I was not a saver so I did not even think to blame them. One time I needed money, I was at the end of a 4 year degree program and ran short. Two other times, I decided to buy a home and was afraid I would run short because you don’t know the exact amount for costs and fees. So, that is how borrowing and lending works, when it works in a good way. I am loaning a grandson money to complete a 5 year professional program. I am giving half and loaning half. I really don’t expect to foreclose on the debt. If I don’t really need it, I wouldn’t want it.
Ah well the grandchildren can have what they want…lol……seriously though, my grandson never asks for anything and will refuse offers of money……….but I do insist on giving him gifts of money, he doesn’t squander money,and if he has a car repair I will help him out…….he needs his car for work, and repairs don’t come cheap……
Hi Rosr,
my parents taught me; mind your words, always and if you make a promise be sure
you can keep it. Otherwise it is better to your mouth shut. xxxM
Hello Michael, very easy to make promises, so your parent were very wise in their words to you…xxx
Your parents taught you well.
Good Morning Star,
I’ve missed to mention another wise word my parents taught me; Think first, talk
later. xxxM
Yes Michael……..put your brain into gear before opening your gob…lol………the advice I offer to mine is, if you are ever put on the spot when being asked to do a favour, tell the person you will get back to them on that one, better than agreeing to something you may regret………gives you time to mull it over before agreeing to do it
Starlette, “Put your brain in gear before putting your mouth in drive”.
That too……
My father would say. “Better to keep your mouth closed and be thought ignorant than open your mouth and remove all doubt. I often heard. “your word is your bond”. I never quite got that but knew my word was important.
My teacher,” Beauty is truth and truth is beauty”.
I am o grateful that I was taught and that I learned. My father had tolerance for many things but he had no tolerance for liars and people who did not keep their word.
Your wise Dad Rosinbloom, “Your word is your bond”. This comes from early banking I think. Communications were slow in those days and financial transaction across distances and internationally had to be totally trustworthy or the system would fail and no one would be able to do anything. So if as a banker you accepted a contract, even a verbal contract…that was it no retraction. You agreed to something so you would do it….you were bonded. This saying probably goes back to Florence in 14-15th centuries as Florentine banking families financed Europe in those days. So the saying means….if you give your word, you will do it. Your first one, keep your mouth closed…… Waylander had a good quote the other day, “We have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen twice as much as we should speak.” He told me that he thought the quote was Portugese….these nuggets of wisdom come from all over LOL!
Thank you, rockflower. I love knowing the origin of things and you are right, and most people could not write and had no paper or pens, so till this day oral agreements, with some exceptions, are legal. Enforcement or proof is a problem.
Good one Way…..never heard that one, but I know someone I will use it on….lol….
“Don’t Rock the Boat”
Sometimes the boat needs rocking or we become complacent and accepting…..but I can see the reasoning behind that saying……while things are going good………..”Don’t upset the Applecart “
Two I can remember one from my Mum “If you cant say something nice don’t say anything at all” (usually about someone) and from a work colleague “Accept what you can’t change and change what you can’t accept” quite fitting in the civil service with lots of brick walls to run into.
Hi Walker, two very brilliant sayings to try and live by…………we can but try…….
NEVER NEVER RETIRE it will shorten your life. This month I will be 85 years young and by keeping busy I do not have time to think about doing nothing.
I write a newspaper column as a writer since 1972. make fishing tackle for several retail stores for over 47 years, Now Striped Bass rigs, metal spreaders, and sturgeon rigs. garden a 1/2 acre area raising summer and winter squash, raise beef cattle, and chickens. Give away free, up to 2 ton of vegs, 1,000 lb beef, and several hundred dozen brown eggs. I sleep good every night with my small dog and take a morning and afternoon nap. If I sat all day in the rocking chair and on Senior Chat I would be bored to death. It also helps to never have smoked or drank in my life. Root Beer is my favorite drink and milk. I also pray to the Lord 5 times a day or more, Matt 21:22 says it all. “And all things, whatsoever ye ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive,” I was told I had prostate cancer over 6 years ago and it was stage 4 with only a short time to live. I paid for my funeral and picked out a casket, and prayed and prayed . Told the doctors the Lord says He has healed me and have had no treatments. Doctors said do not come back to our hospital so went back to AF Hospital and they over the years can find no prostate cancer as I was healed.
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
My dear gran
Wise words indeed Chopper……..