Here is another excerpt from my latest book, Simple Realities (The pathway to happiness and success), which is now available at Amazon.com and on Kindle.
My wife and I were going to a cocktail party that I didn’t particularly want to attend. Just before I rang the doorbell she put her hand on my arm and said, “Lyman, if it’s dull – just leave it that way.”
We really don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.
The only certain result of trying to please everybody is that you’ll displease almost everybody.
The trouble with always going with the flow is that you may end up in the sewer.
Being yourself is easy; but being what other people want you to be is so difficult you shouldn’t even try.
We become wise by learning from what happens to us when we aren’t wise.
Be wary of people who have no doubts.
It’s seldom wise to humiliate an enemy, and it’s never wise to desert a friend.
Pay more attention to deeds than to words.
The art of enjoying something includes knowing when to stop.
It’s tough to talk yourself out of something you behaved yourself into.
Just because you have a sword doesn’t mean you have to cut someone, it can also be used to point a person in the right direction
Freedom is the right to be wrong, not the right to do wrong.
It’s good to occasionally have nowhere to go and no set time to get there.
Wise people are like rivers; the deeper they are the less noise they make.
What people are going to do next may be more important than what they did last.
Never play a high-stakes game until you understand the rules.
The only right thing to do behind a person’s back is pat it.
It’s easier to avoid the first temptation than to satisfy all that follow.
Add a little to a little and do it often; soon the little thing will become a big thing.
To overcome jealousy turn it into appreciation.
There’s a big difference between being neutral and being fair; treating people equally isn’t necessarily treating them fairly.
Being cold, aloof or ill-tempered will always be inconsistent with being liked.
Be pleasant until ten o’clock in the morning and the rest of the day will take care of itself.
It never hurts to check out a hunch.
Taking a stand on something that matters is a proud and satisfying moment.
Any activity that doesn’t add to your life should be dropped.
If you scare people, they’ll be around only as long as they’re scared.
Be careful about judging people by the circumstances in which we find them.
Flattery should be like bubble gum; enjoyed for a while but never swallowed.
Being stubborn may be okay, but only if you’re right.
A lady is a woman in whose presence I’m inspired to act as a gentleman.
To really know people observe their behaviour when they think no one is watching.
Confronting the strong is admirable; bullying the weak is reprehensible.
At some point you have to start acting your age.
When you don’t know whether to laugh or cry; do both.
If you’re going to insist on your rights, be prepared to live up to your responsibilities.
Don’t dwell on small disappointments.
People can’t see eye-to-eye with you when you’re looking down on them.
There’s a limit to the number of times you can start over.
Only a fool would resolve not to go into the water until he had learned to swim.
It’s a lot harder to hide feelings we have than to fake those we don’t.
People can’t walk over you unless you lie down.
If you reward bad behaviour you’re going to get more of it.
To live a worthwhile life, decide what you want written on your tombstone.
The less you complain the more sympathy you’ll get.
If someone pulls a knife, that means he doesn’t have a gun.
It’s easy to be wise after the event.
There’s often a thin line between frank and candid and tactless and cruel.
The first step in good works is to do no bad.
There’s no point looking for simplicity where it doesn’t exist.
We choose what to believe.
It’s dangerous to want any one thing too much.
In matters of principle, stand like a rock; in matters of taste, swim with the tide.
Live today as if there’s going to be a tomorrow; behave like there isn’t and you may be right.
Motives can be more important than actions.
Whenever you can, be strong around your loved ones and cry by yourself.
Every now and then do something you’ve never done but always wanted to.
Don’t waste time yearning for something that can’t happen.
There’s a fine line between curious and nosy.
Because there’s so much beyond our control, we better control what we can.
Sometimes it’s best to just sit back and observe, provided we learn from our observations.
Just because you can doesn’t necessarily mean you should.
The best way to deal with temptation is to avoid it; the second best is to resist it; there is no third best.
There are always degrees of responsibility.
It’s seldom wise to reveal all that’s in your heart.
People who never say yes to anything lead very boring lives.
Choose carefully the facts you fall in love with.
Hating is a waste of time and won’t let love get back in.
Forgiving people does more for you than it does for them.