CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

HARD LESSONS TO LEARN

These are the short lessons that are sometimes hard to learn and sometimes even harder to accept. These lessons don't need a chapter to explain them. They don't even need a paragraph. Some lessons are so powerful and so short, you just say them.

• When people tell you how rich they are, chances are they are not.
• When people tell you how intelligent they are, they actually are proving how little they know, not how much they know.
• When people tell you how successful they are, chances are they are not.
• When people tell you what a devout Christian they are, especially more than once, they are usually anything but.
• When people tell you how honest they are, keep your hand on your wallet.
• When people say, “Let me be frank with you,” it means in the past they haven't been.
• When people say, “And that's the truth,” be skeptical.
• When people say, “Let me tell you this for your own good,” it's for their own good, not yours.
• When people say, “I only have one thing to say about that,” be prepared for a lot more than one thing to follow.
• When people say, “I'll try,” don't count on it.

Source: Larry Winget, “Shut Up, Stop Whining, and Get a Life,” SmarterComics.

• Never say anything stupid like, “It just can't get any worse than this!” That is a challenge you don't want to issue to the universe. If there is one thing I have learned in life, it's that it can always get worse.
• There is an old saying that goes, “Kids should be seen and not heard.” Actually I think the truer statement would be, “Neighbors should be seen and not heard.”
• Rich makes up for a whole lot of ugly.
• The less people have to say, the more they feel compelled to say it, and they probably will use bad grammar and won't be able to spell it.
• Common sense is no longer common. Neither is common knowledge or common courtesy.
• When someone says, “If I had a nickel for every time …” the truth is they would have about 35 cents.
• Keep it simple. When it starts feeling complicated, stop, evaluate, simplify, and begin again.
• Don't worry too much about people liking you. It's better if they respect you.
• Focus on accomplishment, not activity.
• People will almost always lie to protect themselves.
• Never tolerate disrespect from anyone.