The following “Observations” are excerpted from Chapter 2, We Humans,
from my “The Book of Observations.”
There are about 2,000 “Observations” in this book.
Happiness is an inside thing.
Where we have been influences
where we are going.
Those always trying to catch up
seldom do.
Those who listen with their tongues
hear nothing.
It is best to get old
very late in life.
It always takes longer
and costs more.
Learning is a chore;
teaching is a trial.
The past, we inherit;
the future, we create.
Temptations not present
are the easiest to resist.
Those without measuring tools
should not measure.
Be like someone you
would want to be with.
Pain experienced is pain known.
The curve balls that life throws
are part of the game.
Life is full of false alarms.
Looking backwards,
one cannot see ahead.
To stop doing something,
start stop doing it.
More important is it to be
than to be something.
Go there with someone who
has been there.
Ignorance is not an excuse for stupidity.
There is listening,
and there is hearing.
There is no affliction
as dire as self-importance.
Exit gracefully.
Greed destroys itself.
The more that women resemble men,
the less men they will attract.
To open closed minds,
we labor in vain.
Just when you reach the peak,
another valley appears.
The greatest joys are unexpected.
Hurry is a killer.
Those who expect the worst
experience fewer disappointments.
The savvy honor the natural world.
Assumption is the road to disaster.
Life is a seesaw.
Performance, not promise, is rewarded.
There are more tasks than time.
Marriage is not an endurance contest.
Active minds devour days.
What can seem so right
is often wrong.
Sometimes running the race slowest wins.
Expectations are the wellspring
of disappointment.
It’s normal to be tempted,
abnormal to resist.
Right living is about behavior, not worship.
Gain soon the wisdom of age;
retain long the vitality of youth.
Say only what you are comfortable
having repeated.
Eat less more.
Often, we are victims
of our first reaction.
Far easier is it to get tangled
than to get untangled.
To succeed, we must be willing to fail.
Only the responsible survive.
Each day, we discover
how little we know.
No one can be with anyone
all of the time.
The enlightened wear comfortable shoes.