Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Best Advice/Quote you've been given/heard about life

123 replies

NETSRIK · 08/02/2022 16:40

Please can I have some help...

I am going to fill a jar up with some quotes, advice, tips, life hacks, confidence boosters (you name it!) for my teenage children. My daughter has asked for one and I'd like to do it for all my children (might even do one for myself!). I've seen some excellent posts on here about advice and things that were said to you in your childhood/teenage years that were positive for you and stuck with you through life so please please please could I ask for you to share the best bits of advice or quotes from people which have helped you navigate through life. Thank you!

OP posts:
colouringfoxes · 08/02/2022 16:44

From my piano teacher in my teenage years: "Never be in a relationship with anyone unless they make you 100% more happy." (she was a divorced Polish Catholic so I figured she knew what she was talking about).

LoseLooseLucy · 08/02/2022 16:49

"If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it
A long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists
Whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable
Than my own meandering experience, I will dispense this advice now
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth, oh, never mind
You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth
Until they've faded, but trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back
At photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now
How much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked
You are not as fat as you imagine
Don't worry about the future
Or worry, but know that worrying
Is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing Bubble gum
The real troubles in your life
Are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind
The kind that blindsides you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday
Do one thing every day that scares you
Saying, don't be reckless with other people's hearts
Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours
Floss
Don't waste your time on jealousy
Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind
The race is long and in the end, it's only with yourself
Remember compliments you receive, forget the insults
If you succeed in doing this, tell me how
Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements
Stretch
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life
The most interesting people I know
Didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives
Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't
Get plenty of calcium
Be kind to your knees
You'll miss them when they're gone
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't
Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't
Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the 'Funky Chicken'
On your 75th wedding anniversary
Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much
Or berate yourself either
Your choices are half chance, so are everybody else's
Enjoy your body, use it every way you can
Don't be afraid of it or what other people think of it
It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own
Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your own living room
Read the directions even if you don't follow them
Do not read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly
Get to know your parents, you never know when they'll be gone for good
Be nice to your siblings, they're your best link to your past
And the people most likely to stick with you in the future
Understand that friends come and go
But a precious few, who should hold on
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle
For as the older you get
The more you need the people you knew when you were young
Live in New York City once but leave before it makes you hard
Live in northern California once but leave before it makes you soft
Travel
Accept certain inalienable truths
Prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too, will get old
And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young
Prices were reasonable, politicians were noble
And children respected their elders
Respect your elders
Don't expect anyone else to support you
Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse
But you never know when either one might run out
Don't mess too much with your hair
Or by the time you're 40 it will look 85
Be careful whose advice you buy but be patient with those who supply it
Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past
From the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts
And recycling it for more than it's worth
But trust me on the sunscreen"

Break down the lyrics to Sunscreen, brilliant advice 👌🏻

coronabeer · 08/02/2022 16:49

3 pieces of advice I found helpful;

  1. Think of your future self and ask if they would be grateful for what you're doing or not doing now. (In other words, it's often worth sacrificing small, short term current "wins" for long term gains).
  1. What you spend most of your time thinking about is what you will notice most. So consider how you spend your time and what you focus on. (E.g. if you get a new car, you suddenly see loads of that model everywhere because it is at the front of your mind. But this can also work in a negative way - if you spend too much time thinking about buying "stuff", for example, tou can end up feeling that everyone else has more than you and more "stuff" is the answer).
  1. You only have one body and it's your vehicle to get you through life. You wouldn't expect your car to run on old chip fat - so why do you think your body won't suffer if you fill it with crap?
Cryingbutstilltrying · 08/02/2022 16:52

Choose your attitude.

Said to me by a previous boss when I was very much looking on the negative side about things I couldn’t really control at work.
Same crappy things still had to be done, but I could choose how I thought about it all. Mindset is key.

snowstorm2012 · 08/02/2022 16:52

Fab idea!

'This is my life, not yours, don't worry about what I do. People gonna hate you, rate you, break you, but how strong you stand, that’s what makes you… you'

'Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened'

'What you take for granted someone else is praying for'

'Life becomes easier when you learn to accept an apology you never got'

I actually keep loads on notes on my phone but quite a few are alcohol related so probably not appropriate Grin

NETSRIK · 08/02/2022 16:52

Thank you!!! These are brilliant!

OP posts:
sorrynotathome · 08/02/2022 16:53

how do you make God laugh? show Him (or Her) your plans

JanuaryBirthdays · 08/02/2022 16:57

Don't lecture someone who needs a hug.

PollyCreo · 08/02/2022 16:57

An old man I knew always said 'Be kind to the inarticulate and tolerant of the verbose'. A very clumsy way of explaining that not everyone has the same start in life and access to support and education.

FusionChefGeoff · 08/02/2022 16:59

Would you rather be right, or would you rather be happy? Take the high road to get out of a difficult situation basically.

Happiness is so amazing, it doesn't matter if it's someone else's. Take joy in other peoples good fortune / happiness / their joy.

Fake it till you make it

Think 'what would xxx' do and then copy them

There's no pockets in a shroud.

Better to regret something you did rather than something you didn't do.

You're only young once - in 10 years time you will look back and wish you were this age now.

Comparison is the thief of joy.

Do unto others as you would be done by yourself.

Always assume you're on TV (especially when dealing with fractious children - helps me to channel Mary Poppins instead of Waynetta Slob!)

Squiff70 · 08/02/2022 17:10

"Nobody truly has all their shit together. We're all just fucking winging it and hoping nobody finds out".

I love my life by that principle!

NETSRIK · 08/02/2022 17:16

@Squiff70

"Nobody truly has all their shit together. We're all just fucking winging it and hoping nobody finds out".

I love my life by that principle!

Love this one!! I've been trying to tell my teenager daughter this. She assumes that everyone else is happy, positive, body confident etc. She thinks she is the only one who isn't.
OP posts:
WaningMoon · 08/02/2022 17:19

You can’t control other people’s actions, only your reactions.

There is more than one way to skin a cat.

What’s for you won’t pass you.

refreshingseahorse · 08/02/2022 17:21

"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity"
This one is particularly useful in the workplace.

CeratopsofthePharoahs · 08/02/2022 17:36

If you are a giving person then you need very strong boundaries because the takers don't have any at all.
There's a big difference between a genuine emergency and someone failing to plan ahead.
You can give a pre-teen deodorant, expensive shower gel, really nice hair care products and the works but you can't make him use them. Well, you can try, but he seems to be taking 90's grunge as his inspiration at the moment.

PsychoSyd · 08/02/2022 17:52

If you don't ask, the answer is always going to be no.

CatsForLife · 08/02/2022 17:53

Comparison is the thief of joy.

Mummyratbag · 08/02/2022 18:00

Ones I have learnt from here :-

You don't have to turn up for every row/fight you are invited to (ie/pick your battles).

Don't borrow trouble from tomorrow (stop worrying about things that may never happen.

Talipesmum · 08/02/2022 18:07

Life. Don’t talk to me about life.

ehb102 · 08/02/2022 18:21

The only thing in life you have to do is breathe. Everything else is a choice with consequences.
-This is my saying. My friends now quote this at me and repeat that they have told it to others!

Nobody has everything all at once.

The ones you love should treat you with more kindness and respect and consideration than anyone else.

madroid · 08/02/2022 18:29

Keep telling your children what you think is right even when you think they're not listening because they'll remember at some point in the future.

Encourage your children's hobbies and interests - they will help get them through life when they're older.

Value every day as it is and don't feel pressure to live a 'best life'.

Get into good habits and set your children a good example.

Moisturise and don't drink.

Fireblanket · 08/02/2022 18:30

The only person you have to impress is your future self.

Keladrythesaviour · 08/02/2022 18:32

No matter how bad today might be, tomorrow is a new day with new options.

100problems · 08/02/2022 18:35

Always have clean knickers in your hand luggage, and a chilled bottle of champagne in your fridge.

Fetchthevet · 08/02/2022 18:35

It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.

Swipe left for the next trending thread