If you spend very long on Facebook and Twitter, people will soon start sending you motivational sayings. I don't mind most of them - a metaphorical kick up the bum is sometimes appropriate. If Einstein has a bit of advice for you, it would be churlish not to at least cast an eye over it. (Although, a good 90 per cent of quotes attributed to Einstein were never uttered by him, although it seems the one here was.)
Sometimes they seem like good advice, but read them carefully. Are they really true? How about "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger"? Try being inspired by that when you're in a persistent vegetative state.
Here's one that a Twitter follower posted last week: “Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”
Yeah, but I bet Michaelangelo didn't have to shower, load the washing machine, tidy up, feed the cat, make two packed lunches, get breakfast, put his make-up on and drive to work before he even aimed one paint-loaded brush at that Sistine Chapel ceiling.
When it comes to realistic advice, I'm more of a Homer Simpson fan. Here are two that will stand anybody in good stead for dealing with life:
1. You tried your best and failed miserably. The lesson is: never try.
2. The code of the schoolyard, Marge! The rules that teach a boy to be a man. Let's see. Don't tattle. Always make fun of those different from you. Never say anything, unless you're sure everyone feels exactly the same way you do.
I'm joking, of course. Kind of. You may laugh, but Homer's quotes are often as insightful as many a homily from a celebrity. Here's Kanye West talking about reincarnation: “I won’t go into a big spiel about reincarnation, but the first time I was in the Gucci store in Chicago was the closest I’ve ever felt to home.”
Crikey. What was he in a previous life? A handbag?
Here's a good quote from Bruce Lee:
Mind you, he did die at the age of 32...
You can follow me on: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. As you can see, I have far too much to say for myself.
Oh dear since not all Einstein's quotes were really his, does that mean that maybe not all Churchill's were his? Oh bummer, I love his.
ReplyDeleteSome quotes are good, but sometimes it's just the wrong thing to say. About having enough time, though, I find I like the idea that it isn't that you don't have enough time, it's just that whatever thing isn't a priority. And many times it's true. I may choose to do something else because it is more important at that time.
ReplyDeleteHow about "if at first you don't succeed, blame everyone else", works well for politicians everywhere.
ReplyDeleteBenjamin Franklin coined some true gems. :) Kanye West really aims high. ~snicker~ Be well!
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