The following “Observations” are excerpted from Chapter 1, Uncommon Sense,
from my “The Book of Observations.”
There are about 2,000 “Observations” in this book.
The prospect of personal gain distorts objectivity.
Ignorance is an indefatigable foe.
Youth exits.
Generalizations are the refuge of the uneducated.
Constructive interaction produces progress.
Waste does not go unpunished.
Yesterday is a fact; tomorrow is a possibility.
Everyone tells the truth.
Gods prefer that we worship each other.
Vanity is a vulnerability.
Sellers love buyers.
Whatever is said will be repeated.
Friends and health are life’s jewels.
Smaller bowls, longer chews, leaner meals.
Setbacks are normal.
Life is thick with life.
There is beauty in wisdom.
Our conscience does not rationalize.
No one can be with anyone all of the time.
The bliss of ignorance is short-lived.
Risk is the price of adventure.
Money can buy healthcare but not health.
Every meal is a funeral.
Religion and truth should be synonymous.
Only those with nothing to lose can judge impartially.
Killing ends life.
Sex is inevitable.
Simplicity is complexity unwound.
There are no laws higher than nature’s.
Advice is best given when requested.
Everything has limitations.
There’s a fine line between a curse and a blessing.
Those who live for approval stunt their growth.
Hard facts cannot compete with blind faith.
Competence is not as easy as it looks.
Common sense can’t be taught.
A judgment is one step beyond an opinion.
Time is relentless.
Life is about hearts and brains.
Speak well; listen better.
Temper generosity with wisdom.
Reality is the easiest and hardest place.
Time teaches.
We are all prostitutes.
Nature takes no prisoners.
Time kills.
We are products of our perspective.
Knowledge builds on knowledge.
Wisdom can enter only an open mind.
Focus on the game, not the trophy.
A mistake is a learning opportunity.
Everyone laughs and cries in the same language.
Birth is a death sentence of unknown years.
Our minds are the arbiters of our moods.
Worrying does not change outcomes.
No one makes every shot.
Crisis equals opportunity.
Greed kills.
Humanity is as it is because we are who we are.
Those who won’t hear are worse than deaf.
Yelling invokes yelling.
Our emotions are loaded guns.
The fool self-deludes.
Wisdom comes late.
We know more than we know.
Knowledge craves more knowledge.
Life progresses by finite, often imperceptible, increments.
Religions are buggy whips on steroids.
We never know enough.
Children are stuck with their parents.
We know only what we know.
All creatures must eat, poop, drink, and breathe.
Beauty masks blemishes.
Ignorance is a relentless foe.
Mirrors report the truth.
We get hit by the waves we make.
Patience is knowledge; understanding is wisdom.