TIME TO UNWIND

Scrutinizing the world-wide assault on democratic principles, the relative inactivity in our Congress, or periods of ignorance displayed by representatives of significant segments of the population, can be intense, sometimes emotional and often challenging. Every once in a while all of us need to take some time to unwind from it all, and focus on less contentious, less controversial debating points quarreling about what bothers us. For me, one of the ways to do this is by reviewing random words of wisdom expressed by others who struggled to communicate their insights for communal consumption. Some of these are profound, some irreverent, and others just plain funny. I have made a habit of collecting these over the years as I come across them, and decided to share some in this column. Citations are added when I have them. Be inspired, or simply enjoy! - "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." (Bernard Baruch). - "If you don't like me: remember - it's mind over matter. I don't mind, and you don't matter." - "A man never steps so tall as when he stoops to help a boy." - "May those who love us, love us. And those who don't, may God turn their hearts. And if He doesn't turn their hearts, may He turn their ankles so we'll know them by their limping." (Old Irish proverb). - "Human behavioral traits are shaped by evolution and passed along genetically." (Ed Wilson - "Sociobiology") - "Nothing in life is as important as you think it is when you are thinking about it." (Daniel Kahneman -"Thinking Fast and Slow") - "Don't make enemies by accident." - "Don't bother to hate what you think is contemptible." - "It's better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt." (Mark Twain). - "If only closed minds came with closed mouths." - "It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it is the size of the fight in the dog." (Twain) - "Life is a challenge. Smile when you still have teeth." - "It is not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." (Henry David Thoreau). - "Never look back unless you are planning to go that way." (Thoreau) - "Not all who wonder are lost." - "Don't believe everything you think." - "A man is not finished when he is defeated. He is defeated when he quits." (Richard Nixon). - "When you are dead in the water, you need to rock the boat." (TW). - "Position determines perspective." - "If you have to eat a frog, do it the first thing in the morning." (Twain). - "Our comforting conviction that the world makes sense rests on a secure foundation: our almost unlimited ability to ignore our ignorance." - "You were born an original. Don't die a copy." - "A man's reach should exceed his grasp." - "There comes a time when you have to choose between turning the page and closing the book." - "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans." (John Lennon). - "If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there." - "The opposite for love is not hate, it's indifference." (Elie Wiesel). - "One death is a tragedy. One million is a statistic." - "Consequence is no coincidence." - "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow mindedness." - "Married men live longer but want to die more often." (old Russian proverb). - "Go to heaven for the climate, hell for the company." (Twain). - "If your parents did not have any children, there is a good chance you won't have any. (Clarence Day). - "A verbal contract isn't worth the paper it's written on." (Sam Goldwyn). - "I hate being bipolar - it's awesome." - "The closest thing to eternal life is a government program." (Ronald Reagan). - "Penicillin - A gift for the man who has everything." (Bumper sticker). - "Let's eat grandma. Let's eat, grandma - Commas save lives." Theo Wierdsma