What is your motto?

Fat Tony@lemmy.world to Ask Lemmy@lemmy.world – 134 points –

Doesn't have to be a life motto. Any motto, for any application.

Mine is: "Fear is shorter than regret."

238

“Be excellent to each other”.

Show some compassion, be a bro, care about other people. Maybe we can make society a bit better; one person, one act of kindness, at a time.

And party on dude! I came here to say this. It's such an easy tenant to live by. The world would be a better place if everyone really took it to heat.

An easy tenant to live by would be a good neighbor.
An easy tenet to live by is a simple guiding principle.

Thanks not sure if it was the dyslexia or the autocorrect which got me that time.

If you can't control it, don't worry about it.

Used to mostly keep me sane at work

If you can't do something about a problem, worrying just gives you another problem. If you can do something about it, don't waste energy worrying about it, just do the thing

This is great, I've been applying it in the kast few years. Lifted many a burden off my back

90% of life is showing up.

I use this every time I'm on the fence about going to an event or just curling up on the couch.

I don't understand the whole wisdom of this right now, so it probably means I have some meditating to do as well

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man." — George Bernard Shaw

"Anything that isn't nothing"

Helps me push through when executive dysfunction hits. Getting outside for even just a little bit is a whole lot better than staying inside while telling myself I'm going to run 3 miles, for example

That’s a good one. A few others that help with my executive dysfunction are:

  • “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.” (It’s better to do something than to obsess over trying for the impossible goal of ‘perfection’.)
  • “Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly.” (This one helps especially with art and things I enjoy but struggle to do if I’m not instantly great at them.)
  • “Laziness does not exist.” (This was inspired by a Medium article I read years ago which explained there is always an underlying cause of procrastination. Mental or physical ill health issues, uncertainty about the task, fear of failure, etc. When I am struggling to move forward, I now look for that reason and can begin to remove the barrier.)

I love this. I always tell people trying to get into fitness and struggling something along these lines. Anything is better than nothing. Even just going to the gym and walking around the place and walking right out... Still better than doing nothing at all. Terry crews has an awesome quote kinda along these lines:

I tell people this a lot - go to the gym, and just sit there, and read a magazine, and then go home. And do this every day. Go to the gym, don’t even work out. Just GO. Because the habit of going to the gym is more important than the work out. Because it doesn’t matter what you do. You can have fun — but as long as you’re having fun, you continue to do it.

"Some is better than none." -My motto throughout college.

Usually I was stressed by the number of chapters I had to read, or pages I had to write. Instead of shutting down and not doing anything, I would tell myself to just read a single page or write a paragraph because any amount of work done is better than nothing.

Now I apply it to work and chores.

Try to live a happy life imposing as little as possible on others.

"In doubt, reboot"

People should really learn this one

I personally need a reboot how do I go about doing this?

Follow a Ramadan or Lent fast and take as much a break from electronics as possible especially around bedtime.

I think about Roy and Moss every week at my stupid job.

Before you criticize a man, you should walk a mile in his shoes. That way if he gets angry, you’re a mile away! And you’ve got his shoes!

"Don't say things about someone behind their back, if you wouldn't be prepared to say it to their face"

I like this one, but looking at it from a different angle I say nice things about people behind their backs pretty regularly that I absolutely would not be prepared to say to their face cuz toxic masculinity. Anybody have tips on how I can keep working on the opposite of this problem? 😭

Funny... I think the internet's motto is the exact opposite of this lol

Paraphrased from Forrest Gump.

“Well, I’ve come this far. Might as well keep going.”

It’s great, because you just lie to yourself about the starting point of any task, and it doesn’t seem so bad.
If I’ve survived from birth until now, then I guess I can survive doing the dishes.

I was just about to give up on dishes thank you kind stranger

Try not to become a man of success, but a man of value.

Albert Einstein

Always try to give people the benefit of the doubt. You never know what someone else is going through.

“This night would be better spent preparing for the next life instead of rehashing the mistakes of this one.”

Lt. Commander Worf.

Brings to mind the bene gesserit litany against fear:

I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

I often pair with:

It is by will alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the juice of Sapho that thoughts acquire speed, the lips acquire stains, stains become a warning. It is by will alone I set my mind in motion.

Which is a nice allegory for most any chemical stimulant (coffee).

Everything is true, nothing is permitted.

Nothing is true, everything is permitted.

Be morally better than average. If you justify being bad by saying everyone else is doing it, you're not helping the downward spiral. Because bad people and people with no choice make things worse on average.

Customer support: trust but verify.

I believe they have a problem. I believe they think they restarted, but I'm gonna check anyway.

In disagreements: "does it matter?"

Most shit we get angry about isn't important. In the grand scheme of life, most shit just doesn't matter.

Be the change you want to see in the world

To me that means to live in a way that if everyone else did too, the world would be a better place. It obviously doesn't gurantee that my moral compas always points to the right direction but it's the only indication I've got about what's right and what's wrong. This also means that I don't go out of my way doing some major charity work but just that I do my part no matter how insignificant it might feel because I believe that if everyone else did that too it would bring about a real change.

Batman in an interrogation room pins joker to the wall.

Batman: “I’ve only got one rule”

Joker: “Then that’s the rule you’re gonna have to break to get what you want”.

Now I hate Marvell and all super hero movies but I do find that quote applies to a lot of things. You cant be a law abiding and have free and fair elections, or have open borders and socialism, or be a pacifist, or have high tax or no tax, or strict policing or lax policing or whatever. Whatever you say is a law, or a line is something that people will exploit.

"Too much force will break it." The only thing worthwhile my mother taught me.

This is a general good thing to live by. Relationships, pooping opening Windows

Every machine is a smoke machine if you operate it wrong enough.

And my favorite: If you're good at something, never do it for free.

Me and my wife’s motto: Vi klarer alt, translated as We can do/endure everything. Usually accompanied by us clinking our wedding rings.

Try to be nice, never fail to be kind. It's important to support the people around you. Those people can be your safety net and metaphorical ladder to climb

Well, before doing something stupid my motto is, "Oh, what the hell."

But what I actually strive for is, "Everbody's suffering, so give them a little grace and maybe a smile."

My father always said: "It's better to be rich and healthy than poor and sick."

The world is unfair in that way and we should remember that.

I rotate through these for everything from physical training to career goals to reminding myself to do my best to not be a douchebag:

“If I give up now, I’m going to regret it.” -Monkey D. Luffy

"Where's the future? Right here. Whose life is this? Mine. What are you gonna do with it? Live it by any means necessary." -Jefferson Pierce

"If you wanna stop this, then stand up! Because I've got one thing to say to you! Never forget who you want to become!" -Shoto Todoroki

"Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one." -Marcus Aurelius

"Giving help that's not asked for is what makes a true hero." -Izuku Midoriya

“I’ve set myself to become the King of the Pirates… and if I die trying… then at least I tried.” -Monkey D. Luffy

"If every porkchop were perfect, we wouldn't have hot dogs." -Steven Universe

Mind your own buisness.

I don't care about other peoples sexuality, gender fetishes, whatever. Its not my buisness and I have no right to judge them for their decision. You do you. As long as people aren't assholes or annoying as hell I don't care.

Better : care enough to defend them from the idiots who care enough to have a problem with it

To clarify, the motto I chose is for direct interaction. And choosing which people I socialise with. Defending our lgtbq folks is completely different and I already do this.

"Different strokes for different folks."

It's a reminder that your preferences aren't the only acceptable way to feel. It's OK if some people like things you don't. On different scales, it's a lesson in tolerance.

It goes hand-in-hand with "Be excellent to each other." Kindness goes far!

Together I hope someday they lead to "Harmony and understanding, sympathy and trust abounding."

Don't craft a well thought out response to someone John Brown would have shot [absolutely necessary for getting through the internet] and don't give two weeks notice to a job that makes you miserable [absolutely necessary for leaving a shitty work situation].

I discovered this one just yesterday, reading a Nero Wolfe detective novel. I kind of like it:

The avoidance of idiocy should be the primary and constant concern of every intelligent person. It is mine. I am sometimes successful.

"you can fix dumb, but you can't fix lazy"

If you don't know, I can teach you. If you just don't want to learn, well that's a different story

"Everything will be okay in the end.
If it's not okay, it's not the end."

I used to always say that to myself in my native language. Seems to be a pretty common saying it seems. In this days I some times still say it. But I don't think I believe in it anymore.

Yeah, it's been around for a while.

Some say it's a quote by Oscar Wilde, some say its John Lennon others say it comes from brazilian Author Fernando Sabino and because Paulo Coelho is the only brazilian author people remember it's attributed to him too.

You are not brazilian by chance?

"There are idiots/assholes everywhere", no direct translation for the word I want in English.

I don't mean it in a mean way, just that idiots/assholes can be from any group of people. Two examples:

Don't assume a doctor knows everything just because they're a doctor. Some doctors are idiots/assholes, they might be wrong. Get a second opinion if something they said sound iffy.

When hearing people generalize from one individual's behavior (like racism): this one is an idiot/asshole, they are everywhere, including in this group and all other groups too.

Pretty wise. That sounds like "don't always trust authority figures"

That is one component of it, but I like mine better because it also can be interpreted as giving a bit more grace to people who are doing their best but their best isn't so good. It also helps me not assuming malicious intent where being an idiot would explain someone else's behavior.

Pretty wise. That sounds like "don't always trust authority figures"

There is no such thing as an easy job if you are passionate enough.

ah, that hit close to home. The neverending perfectionism

Just barely good enough is perfect.

Machines are for breaking & plans are for changing.

You can drive the schedule or the budget - not both.

No 'and then'

...

Fear the shorter or regret.

I'm short, fear me.

"And there's a funny thing about honesty; there's no two ways about it."

This quote from Lassie Come-Home comes up whenever I'm not sure if I should be honest about something bad that I've done. It's a pretty good motto.

That, and "Smile, tomorrow will be worse."

"Don't stop dreaming, because the world is full of people who've stopped dreaming."

Probably no one said that, it's just what reminds me on so many things at once. It's so full of hope, confidence, happiness, interest into new things, overcoming obstacles, the future, laying off the monotone, enjoyment, pushing yourself further. I could interpret and fill so much into this. It also has a little bit of superiority in it, but that's because I often suffer under the negative Nancys and people who have given up, who try their best to drag you down.

If it's not going to matter on your deathbed it doesn't really matter.

"Life is simultaneously too large and small, it is not worth spending time planning it"

You can't change the past and can't control the present. Deal with the future.

"Give them a hand and they'll want the arm."

In other words while it's okay to help people you need to be careful and impose some limits here and there, as people are naturally greedy and will burden you for their own benefit.

In my experience people don't ask enough. What something is worth to one is not always the same for another. And I've found my friends struggle to ask for help for what feels like a lot to them, even if it's not to the person they (should be) asking

I know a few people like this, too. But by rule my experience is the opposite of yours: people asking me help once will likely do it again and again, unless I impose a limit.

Ehm, yea? And why is that a problem? Some people need help occasionally

Ehm, yea?

Yeah. I am highlighting that your personal experience in this regard is different from mine and vice versa.

And why is that a problem? Some people need help occasionally

This is a problem because, as I already said: when you give them a hand they want the arm.

In other words, they start expecting you to spend more and more of your time, labour, brainpower and/or resources, solving their problems, to their benefit, with no regards of that becoming or not a detriment for you.

It's specially egregious in cases where the person doesn't need the help, that they're asking for help just because it's nice to have it.

That's why, as I also said, it's important to impose some limits here and there. Plenty people do not know how to impose those limits, and as a result they are taken advantage of.

Is this clear now?

You are either very cynical or have had some very bad luck finding friends

That's the motto (Mhm) Drop a few bills and pop a few champagne bottles (Mhm) Throwin' that money like you just won the lotto (Mhm)

  • tiesto & ava max

JK. In all seriousness, I don't really have one XD.

Any man can grab a tiger by it's balls, but it takes a real man to squeeze.

"Will this matter in 6 months?" If not, don't waste your mental energy on it.

"I'm just a monkey lookin' at a monolith." said in the strong southern drawl possible.

Very good for technical situations where I'm stumped.

"If you don't want life you fuck you, be a dick, not an asshole" /J

I don't actually have a life motto, but I do like hearing other people's. I'll find one that jives with me eventually, till then I survive.

No murders. Everything else you can apologize for.

I'd rather have the ugly truth than pretty lies.

Reminds me of a line out of a book, don't remember which one, but it was along the lines of 'if you can't say yes, then answer anyway, because I'd rather die with the answer than live with the question'

In your deathbed you'll regret more the things you didn't do than what you did

Take it sleazy! Maximum effort all the time has only ever gotten me exhausted and useless. Save your strength for when you need it.

(at least, that works for me)

Laziness means getting to things only when necessary. It's just, sometimes necessary is much earlier than you'd think

I was thinking more about the energy and attitude put towards doing the things you're doing

Dont break the weekend rules

  • Do NOT add to the population
  • Do NOT subtract from the population
  • Do not ever do anything that will have you end up in the newspaper, hospital or jail.
    • If you do end up in jail, establish dominance quickly.

Also dont do anything you would be afraid to explain to the paramedics.

Are you a time traveler?

I mean I fly pretty low-key too, but you're allowed to have a quantum of impact on history, my folk. Life will go on (until eventually it doesn't).

Arn't we all time travlers? Just sitting in the right lane of spacetime with the cruise control on?

Never be afraid of paramedics, they aren't there to rat you out. They just want to know what they need to do to make you better/not worse. They hate paperwork as much as anyone, and a dead patient is a ton of paperwork.

I think that part is meant to discourage the "hold my beer" types as well as drug use.

Exactly, I told my sibilings that when they went off to college.

You can always call me, I will drive to the ends of the earth to pick you up, I wont tell the folks if you dont want me to. You do, however, have to be able to tell the person scraping your sorry ass off the pavement exactly what you broke. (And dont do anything where you wouldent be able to tell them either)

"Schlimmer geht immer"

It can always be worse.

Not really my motto but a phrase I find myself thinking often in the last couple months.

In English this is often seen as a curse, like don't say that, now it will get worse! Like you're daring the gods.

Love is an action.

Would you care to elaborate?

When people talk about loving someone they usually do so with the intent of conveying a feeling of attraction. Real love is actually an action:

  • Cooking dinner after a long day.
  • Staying up all night with a sick child to comfort.
  • Going to a concert with your significant other of an artist or genre you really don’t like.
  • Giving your life for someone to protect them.

Jack of all trades, master of one.

Probably something like "It's probably not as bad as you think" which applies to people, situations, difficulty of talks and a lot other stuff.

Do what you have to do before you do what you want to do .

If you go outside, have a way to get back in.

"Life is 90% Attitude."

Wait, I thought 90% of life was just showing up? does that mean having attitude is showing up?

As my blood type always says: be positive!

I mean, I'm not B+, but I like the sentiment.

"I like my coffee bitter, like life"

"If it tastes good It is not healthy"

Just to clarify, I am not a super healthy eater. I like to use this expression when the topic comes up to point out that there is no magic and is a miserable experience to lose weight and eat better, better to come to terms with it.

Yeah. I am not a super positive person.

To follow up with yours.

"It has to be worth the calories."

If you're going to eat unhealthy then make sure it's damn tasty and not sad eating.

Safety first.

It's boring, and not good advice for living a life or making big decisions, but in the day-to-day it reminds me to be careful.

Don't be "that guy".

Depending on the situation, whatever "that guy" is will be different, but generally I try not to be "that guy". Very rarely "that guy" is a good guy, and then the whole philosophy breaks down, but most of the time that's not the case, and I am happy trying not to be "that guy".

my motto is 'im otto, i came to get blotto"

"The far end of the spectrum that no one should reach."

I'm gonna need a verb if I want to know what to do with this far end of the spectrum that no one should reach

I don't have one but let's pretend:don't be pressured to act by guilt (assuming you have e a functioning moral compass)

I don't have a motto but if anyone is looking for one "This page intentionally left blank." would be amazing

”It is what it is” and “Get up!”

I have several but by far the most common is "fuck em"

Mainly used when people wanna hit me with some dumb shit and act like it's my problem. Fuck em.

Before doing anything ask yourself "would a stupid person do that?" If they would, do not do that thing.

If the grass looks greener on the other side it's probably being well fertilized.

When you feel like not doing something, that is exactly when you should do it.