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Original poster

To ask for wise sayings that aren’t cheesy

214 replies

LemonQuiche · 21/09/2023 13:29

The internet is full of inspirational meme quotes that are cheesy, meaningless and shallow. Love laugh life. That thing Marilyn Monroe never said. However, are there are good sayings / quotes / wisdom that you like?

I’ve always liked “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”.

OP posts:
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6
Freepo · 21/09/2023 17:41

I like “it is later than you think”.

I think it sums up that we never have as much time as we think in life and to just get on on with it. Not purely in terms of our own mortality, but our opportunities to do things that we end up not getting round to doing.

An old friend of mine recently died. I had been meaning for years to catch up with her and assumed I one day would - it wasn’t to be. A less grave example is a restaurant I’ve been wanting to go for ages to shut a few weeks ago so I’ll never get to try it!

If you want to do something, never put it off and assume you’ll get the chance.

ItsAllMoo · 21/09/2023 18:00

My head of year in school (a while back now!) used to tell us all

Failing to plan is planning to fail!!

Has always stuck with me!

The3rdWatermelon · 21/09/2023 18:00

One of my dad’s, it can be literal or metaphorical: ‘you’ve got to eat a shovelful of shit in your lifetime, it’s just best not to eat it all at once’

ssd · 21/09/2023 18:09

Bralessandfree · 21/09/2023 13:51

The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.

So true

generalexpert · 21/09/2023 18:12

A wise man pisses when he can, not when he has to.

herewegoroundthebastardbush · 21/09/2023 18:21

That reminds me of the toast in (embarassingly) Peaky Blinders: "may you be in heaven a full hour before the devil knows you're dead". I like that one too!

Cherry8809 · 21/09/2023 18:23

PenhillDarkMonarch · 21/09/2023 13:55

God says: take what you want, and pay for it.

Whether you believe in God or not, I like the duel-meaning truth of it.

I like this a lot, never heard it before.

My ex husband’s grandma used to tell me “Let go, and let God”, when we were going through a very difficult time. I’m agnostic, but I found some comfort in accepting that not everything is within your control, and that sometimes you just have to leave it with the universe/god/whatever to resolve.

I also like the saying “What is for you will not pass you”.

TellerTuesday · 21/09/2023 18:26

You can't polish a turd

GoryBory · 21/09/2023 18:29

I think most quotes aren’t originally cheesy, they only become cheesy when they’re over said.

The love, life, laugh one became cheesy because stores jumped on it and created loads of items with it on.

One of my favourite quotes is
”everybody dies but not everybody lives”

It’s something I think about all of the time and it’s in a song by Drake the rapper/singer.

Tigertigertigertiger · 21/09/2023 18:33

A popular quote I detest is

"What's for you won't go by you "

More true is what's for you WILL go by you if you don't grab it as it's passing by

faban · 21/09/2023 18:35

It's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. My husband hates it and says it horrible but I love it 😅

MrJollyLivesNextDoor · 21/09/2023 18:36

Old Polish one:

Nie moj cyrk, nie moje malpy

Not my circus, not my monkeys

ValancyRedfern · 21/09/2023 18:45

I really dislike 'what's for you will not go by you'as it's just not true. I put it in a similar stable to 'everything happens for a reason'which gives me the absolute rage.

My mum often said 'the cure for anxiety is action' which I've always loved. Similar to 'feel the fear and do it anyway'

Yellownotblue · 21/09/2023 18:51

The slopes of Mount Everest are littered with the corpses of once highly motivated people

generalexpert · 21/09/2023 18:53

TellerTuesday · 21/09/2023 18:26

You can't polish a turd

...but you can roll it in glitter.

Yellownotblue · 21/09/2023 18:53

The3rdWatermelon · 21/09/2023 18:00

One of my dad’s, it can be literal or metaphorical: ‘you’ve got to eat a shovelful of shit in your lifetime, it’s just best not to eat it all at once’

How can that ever be literal?!

loveloveloveme · 21/09/2023 18:57

"the fox does not concern himself with the opinion of sheep."

Monoceros · 21/09/2023 19:09

If I got rid of my demons, I'd lose my angels.

AngryGreasedSantaCatcus · 21/09/2023 19:15

Play the game and fuck the player.

Everything ends.

Don't have high expectations from small people.

user1471453601 · 21/09/2023 19:16

Two that were used in my family, used mainly, but not solely, for teens.

if you think you are old enough to do it, you are also old enough to tell me you are going to do it.

and

just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

Tinytigertail · 21/09/2023 19:24

MrJollyLivesNextDoor · 21/09/2023 18:36

Old Polish one:

Nie moj cyrk, nie moje malpy

Not my circus, not my monkeys

This is one of my favourites

PixiePirate · 21/09/2023 19:25

Least said, soonest mended.

Worse things happen at sea.

Familiarity breeds contempt.

cadburyegg · 21/09/2023 19:28

You are who you associate with

If your ship doesn't come in, swim out to it

People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime

PixiePirate · 21/09/2023 19:28

Silence is a response.

FedUpOfItA · 21/09/2023 19:31

Tinytigertail · 21/09/2023 19:24

This is one of my favourites

Show quote history

This appeared in series 4 of You. Now, when I'm at work I frequently think before I get involved in something "is it my circus? Is it my monkeys?"

My favourite saying comes from my mum. It's a classic "pull yourself together".

Technically, it's not wise or meaningful but it sits in my head really nicely when I feel sorry for myself for no reason.