Wednesday, August 10, 2011

A Little Culture to Enlighten Your Day

Thought for the day:  A cloudy day is no match for a sunny disposition.   William Arthur Ward

Chinese writing is more like artwork than mere writing. These symbols to the left are supposed to represent tranquility, harmony, serenity, and peace. 


Nice, huh?

Not that I'm inclined to get a tattoo, but if I were, I don't believe I'd allow someone to put those symbols on my body. Not that I don't appreciate the sentiments they're supposed to represent, but that's just it . . . supposed to represent.  Chinese symbols seem to be very popular among the tattoo-loving crowd these days, but just my luck, I'd get a wise guy tattooist who'd decorate my body with some obscene Chinese insult just for the fun of it. I mean, how would I know? Best if I got a tattoo of a butterfly.

Today, we're going for something a little more cultured than tattoos. (WHAT? Hey, I can do culture!) We're going to talk about pearls. No, just kidding. We're actually going to talk about the great Confucius. He lived in China from 551 until 479 BC, and was a great thinker, political figure, and educator. And man, was he ever wise. His words continue to resonate today, and not just in fortune cookies, either. Consider the following:

  • Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two holes.
  • Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.
  • Forget injuries; never forget kindnesses.
  • He who will not economize will have to agonize.
  • It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.
  • Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in getting up every time we do.
Brilliant, right? But suppose there were some other things he meant to say. Y'know, things he would've said if he were sitting around, sipping wine, and chilling with his pals? In the best interest of furthering your education, it's only fitting that I share with you what some of them might have been. If he'd only thought of 'em . . . 


  • He who sling mud at neighbor will lose ground.
  • He who live in glass house better dress in basement.
  • War no determines who is right. Determines who is left.
  • Man who sit on tack get point.
  • He who laugh last not get joke.
  • The early worm catch fish.
  • When you angry at neighbor, walk a mile in his shoes. Then you be a mile away from him, and you have new shoes.
  • Crowded elevator smell different to midget.
  • Passionate kiss like spider's web. Soon lead to undoing of fly.
  • Man who run in front of car get tired.
  • Man who run in back of car get exhausted.
  • Man with hand in pocket feel cocky.
  • Man who scratches butt should not bite fingernails.
  • Man who eat many prunes get good run for money.
  • Pregnancy happen when woman take seriously something poked in fun.
  • House without toilet uncanny.
  • Man who cut self while shaving lose face.
  • Man who fart in church sit in own pew.



OK, one last thing before I say sayonara. (Sorry, I know that's Japanese, but like I said, uncultured . . . )

The lovely Julie from Empty Nest Insider has given me an award. I know, right? Two in a row here. And this one, too, is incredibly adorable.  It's the AWWWWW


And this one's pretty easy to "earn", too. She says all I have to do is name a book I've read recently that I would recommend. Since I read books like some people gobble peanuts, this should be a piece of cake. I'll simply name the book I finished most recently, and that is The Varieties of Scientific Experience--- A Personal View of the Search for God, by Carl Sagan. It's a compilation of the Gifford Lectures he gave in Scotland in 1985, including the Q&A sessions held afterwards. A bit heavy, perhaps, but fascinating, nonetheless. And lest you think I always read such thought-provoking stuff, if I were to be answering this question next week, I'm sure I'd be recommending Tawna Fenske's book Making Waves. I don't even have to READ it to know it's gonna be fabulous. (My Barnes & Noble order hasn't come in yet, but I'm gonna go ahead, sight unseen, and  recommend her book, anyhow.)

Instead of me officially passing this award on to a handful of people, how about if you all tell us in the comments about a book you read recently? Then you can all take that cute puppy back to your blog with you. Actually, the originator of this award started out by asking for book, movie, OR TV show, so if you aren't a big reader, how about a movie or TV show you'd like to recommend? After all, we could all use a little more culture, eh?


Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.























17 comments:

  1. Congrats on the cute blog award. Your post cracked me up. You're so silly - I love it.

    I read so many books on vacation I surprised myself. :) But that is what you do with no cable TV, internet or phone. It was awesome! Some were biographies, autobiographies, murder mystery and just plain ol' trashy novels. I think my favorite was "Inside Outside" by Walter Bernstein. It was his autobiography detailing his experience as a blacklisted screenwriter during the McCarthy era. It was fascinating.

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  2. I love your homemade Confucianisms! Fantastic.

    As for books I'd recommend ~ Angels and Demons by Dan Brown is a fast paced thriller set in Rome. If you can get past the religious implications, it's a perfect beach read. Held my interest for the three afternoons it took me to finish it. And the ending was pretty good too.

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  3. I love the line about digging two holes when you embark on revenge. And the one about walking a mile in your enemy's shoes made me laugh out loud twice. (I liked it so much, I read it again.)

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  4. Congratulations on the award. Much deserved.

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  5. Thanks for the cultural lesson today!

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  6. "He who will not economize will have to agonize."

    Hmm. Maybe we should send that to Washington. ;)

    Hubs an I recently discovered "The Big Bang Theory" -- a sitcom that gets us laughing every time. Probably because our family is filled with nerds, so we can relate.

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  7. My favorite: Forget injuries; never forget kindnesses :-)

    God bless and have a great week :-)

    ~Ron

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  8. I should always dig 2 holes in our rocky mountainous soil. Love the post.
    Just read "Face the Winter Naked" by Bonnie Turner
    Story set in the great depression.
    Now reading, "After America: Get Ready for Armageddon by Mark Steyn.

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  9. Hi, All. Thank you so much for your comments. Sounds like you guys have been reading some really good books lately. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog, too.

    Linda, "The Big Band Theory" is one of our favorite TV shows. It does an excellent job of nailing the nerdy personality. (And I should KNOW!)

    Anne, it's great to see you back in the blogosphere again. I hope you've had a super respite.

    Take care, y'all. And again, thank you.

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  10. I love your blog. You've helped put a big smile on my face today. Thank you.
    Right now I'm reading Stephen Fry's The Fry Chronicles, his autobiography part 2. An interesting man with a wild journey to tell. Then it will be the 3rd book in the Song of Ice and Fire saga by GRR Martin. And there are 4 books lined up behind that, life is making me fall behind in what really matters- reading!

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  11. Hi Susan, thanks for the shout-out! I also like your idea of passing along the award. Very funny post as always! I especially enjoyed your line about the passionate kiss! Julie

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  12. Hi, Austan. Thank you. I'm very pleased to have lifted your spirits, if only for a little while. You betcha. Reading is at the top of my list for things I like to do.

    Hi-ya, Julie. You betcha. Thank you for passing it to ME!

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  13. Confucius was incredibly wise. So are you. I like what you left on my blog today: "There’s consolation to be found in believing God never gives us burdens too heavy for us to bear, but it’s also pretty tempting sometimes to wonder if He’s overestimated our strength a bit, isn’t it? My mother got through her toughest times by saying, “This too shall pass.”

    Just this morning when I was getting my disabled daughter out of bed, I said, "I'm so glad you don't have to be in this damaged body too much longer," meaning this life is just a moment in eternity. We're definitely on the save wavelength, Susan! And your mother's!
    Ann Best, Author of In the Mirror, A Memoir of Shattered Secrets

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  14. Thanks for visiting my blog Susan - do call abd see me again.

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  15. Thanks for educating us all!
    Just kidding

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  16. Haha, I think this every time I see a tattoo with Chinese characters! I bet there's more than a few people out there that have some insult on their ankle!

    Love all the quotes. :)

    Angela @ The Bookshelf Muse

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  17. Hi, Ann. Thank you, ma'am. I'm honored to be sharing your wavelength.

    Hi, Weaver. My pleasure. Same back atcha.

    Hi, Al. There's education ... and then there's education ...

    Hi, Angela. Thanks for stopping by, dear lady. Take care.

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