The Second Installment of Treasures from “Proverbs to Live By”

This is the second installment of “Proverbs to Live By: Timeless Words of Wit and Wisdom.”

“Fear less, hope more; eat less, chew more; whine less, breathe more; talk less, say more; hate less, love more; and all good things are yours”–Swedish Proverb. This is practical advice for good healthy living. Jesus is always telling us, “Do not be afraid” and “Love one another as I have loved you.” Maybe we need to be less critical and more positive. It’s also a good idea to look at the way we eat. We all need to slow down.

“A person who rides a tiger is afraid to dismount”–Chinese Proverb. Often in life, we get caught up in doing things good or bad that demand all of our attention. We see this in the military. People go off to war and are trained to kill and when they come home, the adjustment to civilian life is very difficult. Many things can consume people: gambling, drugs, alcohol, jobs, hobbies, etc. “Dismounting” can be very painful and difficult.

“Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration”–Thomas Edison. Edison acquired a record number of 1,093 patents (singly or jointly) and was the driving force behind such innovations as the phonograph, the incandescent light bulb and one of the earliest motion picture cameras. He also created the world’s first industrial research laboratory. He was smart but he did a lot of perspiring. Are we willing to use our talents according?

“You cannot prevent the birds of sadness from passing over your head, but you can prevent their making a nest in your hair”–Chinese Proverb. All of us will experience sadness in our life. But we don’t want to become a sad person. We have to deal realistically with our losses in life. We always have to go through the cross to obtain new life.

“They who give have all things; they who withhold have nothing”–Hindu Proverb. We find happiness in giving. We open our hands and hearts when we give to others. When we hold onto our possessions, we close our arms and our hearts. “It is in giving that we receive.”

“Don’t marry for money; you can borrow it cheaper”–Scottish Proverb. How true. Many marriages go wrong because someone marries for the wrong reason. The only question that needs to be answered is: Can I live and share life with this person for the rest of my life?

“The grand essentials in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for”–Joseph Addison. I really like this one. The book of Genesis tells us that we are to cultivate God’s creation. The curse is not the work; it’s the sweat that goes with it. We need to love someone or something to keep us going. And we need to look forward to a better world.

“A person who has committed a mistake and does not correct it is committing another mistake”–Confucius. We all should learn by our mistakes. That’s the best way to learn. If we are embarrassed because we have made a mistake and try to hide it, we have learned nothing at all.

“It is the beautiful bird that gets caged”–Chinese Proverb. People who have birds for pets don’t keep sparrows. They cage birds with beautiful colors. We can also cage beautiful people. We admire them and put them in a “box” where we can constantly watch them. Look at all the celebrities. Many of them do not have a life of their own.

“It is much easier to be critical than to be correct”–Benjamin Disraeli. Finding something wrong with a situation is easier than pointing out the positive aspect. Always be positive.