Live as you would want the children in your life to live.

'My life is crazy but someone's got to live it'.

Yep. I've been known to say that a time or two or three or ... I'm not very easily boxed in by one motto. I so flunk at this game. I did see one recently that was interesting but it's not mine at all.

"I'm never unintentionally rude." (what?!!)

auntjen, I don't know why but your motto reminded me of the recent thread on the Cougar show, these gals should have that motto written on their bathroom wall, lol.....

Live as you would want the children in your life to live,

possibly it should be written on bathroom walls in bars,
that would sober up a few people real fast.
Geez, I'm so not a fun person.

I have a lot that I try to live by and constantly tell my kids, but the two we've been living lately are "If you want to make a friend you have to be a friend" and "be careful what you wish for..."

Have a great day!

Goldust, I'd have to think that any person choosing to have, "I'm never unintentionally rude" as a personal motto would be an absolutely miserable person. I hope this isn't someone you have to deal with on a daily basis.

I agree, "What?!!!".

Come on folks, keep sharing your mottos that get you through the day and form the basis for the way you deal with life.

It's interesting to see the different mottos and to pair them with the personalities we reveal as we post comments and opinions.

No, I don't, Mona. Whoever has that for a motto just wouldn't be my type. I read it and stood dumbfounded, wondering about who would have that for a motto.

But, 'it takes all kinds to make a world' and 'what if the hokey pokey *is* what it's all about'?

Mine is "Order out of chaos". I use it for everything from tackling a horribly messy house to dealing with work problems. For some reason that little mantra usually calms me down and gets me ready to tackle the issue.

Then again, as you can infer from my screen name, it isn't ENTIRELY successful all the time :).

Ann

Oscar Wilde first said that "A gentleman is never unintentionally rude" and as a motto goes, I think it has its merits. I've certainly observed plenty of rudeness due to insensitivity, boorishness, lack of knowledge and general stupidity. Mindlessness makes everything worse, in my estimation. If you're going to be rude, be mindful.

I'm very fond of my old Latin teacher's favorite phrase

De gustibus non est disputandum.

Since some members may not be fluent in Latin, let me translate ideefixe's motto into English.

Her motto is....."There's no accounting for taste".

How true.

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."(thanks, Eleanor Roosevelt). I have no control over what others do but I do have control over how I react.

Also one of my favorite professors used to say that "We should inhabit the earth as if we intend to stay." That really brings it home to me that we are treating the earth as something we plan to crumple up and throw away when it's used up.

Maybe you are right, ideefixe. I just thought 'Bit##'. So did my DH.

Of course it's good to be mindful but businesses, organizations, etc. often have mottoes. Like our business motto is "Do what you say you are going to do." I like more positive or humorous mottoes. YMMV. :+)

"though shalt not abuse spam wallpaper"

that's my new one for today, lol....

Oh, Mitch, so it was you. Were you reprimanded?

don't know yet; maybe since I turned myself in, they'll spare me....

Mine are,

"do unto others like they would do to themselves"

another,

"pay your money, make your choice".

and this really keeps me in check, LOL

"Karma is a b-tch" ;-D

I've certainly observed plenty of rudeness due to insensitivity, boorishness, lack of knowledge and general stupidity. Mindlessness makes everything worse, in my estimation. If you're going to be rude, be mindful.

I completely disagree. I'd much rather encounter someone who was too stupid to "know better" than someone who simply chose to be a butthole.

Be prepared.

Since my life seems to follow Murphy's Law-Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong-it's prudent to be on the offensive, once in a while. :) Or should that be on the defensive?

I don't agree that rudeness = "butthole". There's rudeness and there's rudeness.

I've seen plenty of people watch in silence as some harridan berates a cashier, a valet parking attendant, or someone in a service position. If I speak up and intervene, am I rude? Most likely, I am, but I'm rude with intent, and that's the difference.

One man's ceiling is another man's floor.

ideefixe, I don't believe that's the type of rudeness to which Jen was referring. I have come to the defense of others without resorting to rudeness and certainly others here on the Boards have as well. Why can't the offending behavior be noted in a polite and civil manner? Unless, of course, rudeness is a knee-jerk reaction in any given situation. And in that case, intentional or not, it's poor form, IMHO.

Perhaps this doesn't apply to your philosophy, but I've found that most people who resort to rudeness just have unhappy lives and get satisfaction out of being mean.

You're right; there's rudeness and there's rudeness and there's snarkiness.

To be rude is to behave inconsiderately towards someone else. It is to insult, berate, offend, and generally belittle another human being.

One can intervene in any situation in a kind and positive manner.

If you view rudeness as constructive, however, I know of no way to persuade you otherwise.

I don't know if this actually qualifies as a motto but I have it hanging on my office wall:

I can only please one person per day.
Today is not your day.
Tomorrow doesn't look good either.

There's always Homer Simpson's words of wisdom:
"I didn't do it. It's not my fault. It was that way when I got here."

What is hateful to you, do not to others.

And

It's just as easy to talk yourself into being happy as it is to talk yourself into being sad.

I have found that if you smile and ACT like you're happy, you will find yourself being happy. But I think some people like to wallow in their own misery rather than pull themselves out of their blue funk. Sometimes it's just a matter of convincing yourself, and it can be done.

Too much is just enough.

I wouldn't say these are words I try to live by...it's just the way it usually works out! Too many plants, too much food for company, too many house guests, too many paint samples, too many beads, too many orphan chairs from yard sales... You get the drift. :-)

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, totally worn out and proclaiming, 'WOW, WHAT A RIDE!!!'"

This is sooo NOT me! But I soooo want it TO be me! I want to put this in wall words on a wall somewhere that I would see it several times a day. I am one of those people who worries about what others might think, too cautious, etc...and I realize life and it's fun are just passing me by!!! Hope somebody else finds it inspring also!

Excellent motto, imsoconfused! (Says me, the person on the sidelines). I don't have an actual motto, but I face certain low points in life by being Grateful for all I have in life, and not dwelling on what I missed out on (rainy day on vacation, didn't get the sale price, etc, etc,etc). As lowspark noted above, wallowing in self-pity is not the way to live your life.

I have this one on a small needlepoint in my bedroom:

"I expect to pass through this life but once. If there can be any kindness I can show, or any good I can do, let me do it now for I shall not return this way again."

I believe it's paraphrased from a longer version, but I can't remember where I saw it or to whom it was attributed to.

I forgot the best motto of all time, from the inimitable Alice Roosevelt Longworth:

"If you havent got anything nice to say about anybody, come sit next to me."

Works for me!
Ann

Rilie, that's a wonderful quote. I hadn't seen that one in awhile, and my curiosity got the best of me, so I Googled it and discovered that it's attributable to William Penn, the English Quaker who founded the colony of Pennsylvania.

I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.

Beautiful words to live by!

"There is no One True Way."

I would have to say that many apply...even the rudeness one (which I would agree with Idee on actually). There's a place for purposeful rudeness...very rare, but a place. I am not intentionally rude to people often, but have had the need a couple times, amd more so since our son was born and spent so many times in hospital.

I have clearly spoken to doctors and nurses in the past telling them that they may not touch my child. Clearly, abruptly and sometimes loudly. Sometimes they just don't get it and speaking in a manner I could feel was rude normally, might be necessary at another time.

An easy example...young med doc (student) asks (after you clearly address symptoms of relevance to the case) "Is this your first child?" To which I always rudely reply, "Is this your first patient?" That intended rudeness normally has the effect of making the young doc think a second before dismissing your symptom list again. Is it not better "intentional" rudeness than saying "Did you listen to me you arrogent little pup?"

I had a doc come into the room visably drunk. I told him in clear terms to leave the room and not return. He continued towards my child as if he was going to do an exam. I told him he could not touch my child at any time. Rude? Sure, Appropriate rudeness? You betcha

Young nurses who don't read charts (Sorry but it's often young and new staff) will insist on waking a child to take their blood pressure and listen to their heart several times durign the night. Our chart always addressed the need to NOT do this. You don't have time in the middle of the night to be polite and whisper that there is no need...by the time you finish whispering they'll have the child awake. "Please do not touch him. Go read his chart for conformation of these orders" isn't terribly polite, but again necessary and appropriate.

Ok so onto more fun....one of my favorites...

Well behaved women rarely make history :)

I love this one...I've thought of embroidering it on a pillow for the bedroom:

Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning,

Satan shudders & says

Oh sh*t....she's awake!

I've always loved the "real women's guide" (the action of a lady verses a real woman...I'm much more number two on occasion LOL)

Ladies - If you accidentally over-salt a dish while it's still cooking, drop in a peeled potato and it will absorb the excess salt for an instant "fix-me-up."

Real Woman - If you over-salt a dish while you are cooking, that's too damn bad. Please recite with me, The Real Women's motto: "I made it and you will eat it and I don't care how bad it tastes."

Ladies - Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.

Real Woman - Take a lime, mix it with tequila, chill and drink. You might still have the headache, but who cares?

Ladies - Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to prevent ice cream drips.

Real Woman - Just suck the ice cream out of the bottom of the cone, for Pete's sake. You are probably lying on the couch, with your feet up, eating it anyway.

Ladies - To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.

Real Woman - Buy boxed mashed potato mix and keep it in the pantry for up to a year.

Ladies - When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead and there won't be any white mess on the outside of the cake.

Real Woman - Go to the bakery - they'll even decorate it for you.

Ladies - Brush some beaten egg white over pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish.

Real Woman - Woolies frozen pie directions do not include brushing egg whites over the crust, so I just don't do it.

Ladies - If you have a problem opening jars, try using latex dishwashing gloves. They give a non slip grip that makes opening jars easy.

Real Woman - Go ask the very cute neighbour to do it.

And finally the most important tip.... Ladies - Don't throw out all that leftover wine. Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.

Real Woman - Leftover wine??

Igloo-
I work in medicine (peds to be specific) and you so hit the nail on the head.

Thanks for the laugh with your real women quotes.

I have 2 mottos I live by, the first given to me by my late grandmother: "You get further with honey than you do with vinegar"

The second I learned on my own from experiences:
Don't expect too much, and you'll never be disapointed.

Polly...I should be fair. Some of the most important and wonderful people in our lifes are doctors, nurses, and support staff of all types that we've met with DS. Lab techs that cared enough to call in a peds nurse to draw blood verses trying tiny veins they don't normally do themselves, aids who sit in to give a parent a break, (I can picture two wonderful men who were aids at our last stay who I would have trusted with my son's lifes) and nurses and doctors who not only cared, but listened and shared their caring after really hearing our problems. Heck the woman in the cafeteria who snuck me a plate of a horrible holiday dinner last christmas (Hopkins) because I missed the patient dinner on Christmas Eve (my mother in law died that night and they wouldn't let us leave to be with the family). Horrible food!! But gad the fact that she remembered us and thought of us at that very difficult time...beyond wonderful. It still tears me up.

I hope arrogent young doctors aren't annoying you much :oP (and that you're not one LOL but if you are...please don't ask that question...It makes me want to hit people LOL)

It's better to remain quiet and be THOUGHT dumb than to speak up and remove all doubt :)

Igloo- no need to explain :)
BTW- I'm not a doctor, but I am one of those people that gets called from all areas of the hospital to draw blood or start IV's on little ones, and I see the frustration in the parents faces, because by the time I get there, their little one has had multiple unsuccessful sticks. So I understand your frustrations.
I think that it should be a requirement for all med students to be patients themselves before being let loose in the medical field. Perhaps it would humble them and they would think twice before they said some of the idiotic things they say to their patients. Oh- I could write a book.
Sorry to hijack this thread, but my motto about the honey totally applies here.
nanabb- good one!

There is a similar thread running over at Organizing the Home forum, with a decluttering theme: What's your mantra or slogan?? Share your words of wisdom.

Lots of good advice there, too!

Igloo: Loved the Ladies/Women comparison. "Frozen pies from Woollies" -- must be from the UK?

-Lena

How about this one?

Keep on truckin'

"Live life Joyfully"

Life's a mess, clean it up!

A neighbor used to tell her kids over and over: "It's not your APTITUDE, it's your ATTITUDE that determines your ALTITUDE in life!"

I repeat this to myself from time to time and will drum it into my son's head as soon as he's old enough to begin rolling his eyes at me and dad!

I can't say that I really have one, I just try really hard at having a good attitude, and when I don't feel great, I still say that I am fine.
I like what bumblebeez says and I truly believe it,
"Life if not a dress rehersal".
Also like, "Be careful what you wish for".

Mine is: Life is made up of teeny tiny moments.

Chances are I won't win the lottery, star in a movie or win the Nobel prize. Enjoy the moments for all they are.

The older I get, the more I recognize the truth (and wisdom!) in "Never say never."

"Don't Burn your Bridges"

I wish I hadn't burnt a few of mine.

Imsoconfused, always loved skidding joyfully into the grave.

Various times in life:

Abe Lincoln's "Most folks are about as happy as they make their minds up to be."

Alex Haley's "Find the good and praise it." I sometimes adapted to "... raise It"

Personal: Be a blessing!

Oh, wow! How'd I miss you up there, Imsoconfused? It's great to see you, and I hope all's well in your world!

Oh, I just remember one that used to be the scrolling screensaver on my computer back when I had a desktop one:

Life is a test.
It is only a test.
If this were your actual life, you would have been given better instructions.

(Meaning, don't take this all too seriously!)

From Bart Simpson (well, okay, the writers for him):

I'm the visionary, you come up with the nuts and bolts.

Three sayings on magnets or cartoons on my fridge:

You cannot reason with an hungry belly; it has no ears
A Greek proverb

I love the beach - the ocean makes my butt look smaller

The only skills I have the patience to learn are those that have no real application in life.
Calvin from Calvin & Hobbs

Every thing will be OK at the end, if is not OK it is not the end.

"Play it as it lays".