“Grandma was right,” I thought as I trudged back up the driveway. Today I had a bunch of errands and I was halfway out of the drive before I remembered that the package I was going to mail was still sitting on the dining room table. Drat! Grandma had a saying: ‘If it doesn’t come out of your head, it has to come out of your feet,'” My feet were paying the price for my head forgetting the package.
Now that I think of it, Grandmas seem to have a lot of pithy sayings. One that I liked much better was: “Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought him back.”
My friend Sharon’s grandma assured us “there’s no pot so crooked that there isn’t a lid to fit it,” (on meeting a husband). My other grandma had a slightly more grim outlook on marriage: “She who marries for money, earns it.”
I started thinking of other family sayings. Mother assured me, “nothing succeeds like success.” Never worked for me since I was shy and introverted and as far as I know, not a success at anything until I got to be a grown-up. Another of her homilies was “in a depression, cash is king.” Now I can sure see the wisdom of that. We all know money talks.
When I read Dear Abby, I am often reminded of my dad’s saying, “there are three sides to every story: yours, mine and the truth.” My dad actually had a lot of sayings. Many involved driving. On back-seat drivers: “I never mind being told — four eyes are better than two.” That did not apply, however, to my friend Sally who would gasp or squeak whenever she saw someone standing on the curb or another car approaching the intersection. Fortunately, Sally didn’t ride with us often. Actually dad was a very good driver and taught me a lot. On the freeway “look as far ahead as you can,” “never stay behind someone you can’t see around,” and (the one I think of most often), “it’s not enough to drive your own car; you have to drive every other car on the road, too.”
One of my Dad’s sayings was “what wonderful things could be done, if nobody cared who got the credit.” My friend Lois tells me that was a Ronald Reagan saying, although I was adamant that it was my dad’s first. It’s just something my dad would say. I decided to look it up and while my dad did say it, he wasn’t the originator unless he was the reincarnation of a Jesuit priest named Father Strickland who lived in 1863. It was also repeated by and attributed to Edward Everett Hale in the early 20th century and several others. Well, darn, it’s a good thought, no matter who gets the credit for saying it first.
Another of my dad’s sayings — and I think of it often — is “it’s easy to live the other fella’s life.” Haven’t we all done that from time-to-time? I sometimes look at someone and think, “if only they would…” or “That guy really oughta…”
But one of my favorites is “Are you complaining or are you boasting?” This was particularly apropos a couple of years ago when I was at a book signing arranged by a local author and friend, Stephen Murray. (He wrote a charming little book about a day in the life of a Las Vegas wedding chapel called “Chapel of Eternal Love,” which is available on Amazon and would make a great gift for someone who enjoys short stories.) Stephen arranges book talks and signings for local authors and on this particular day there were perhaps 20 of us at the signing, all promoting our own book(s). On a day like this we all chat and sometimes buy each others books and hope to make a few sales. One man was pacing around muttering, “I’ve only sold a thousand books.” Of course those of us who had been around this block a few times figured he was lying sack of something-or-other, and I was tempted to use my dad’s line on him. However, he was so pathetic that everyone simply ignored him. Poor guy.
Maybe your family has some sayings that come to mind from time-to-time. If you want to share, use the comments section below.
Robin: A great collection of sayings. I can’t think of any right now although I’m sure my parents provided some good ones.
love,
Martin
My grandmas saying was “Save you feet use your head” When my grandfather said, “No, I put my foot down on it.” He was saying no debate the answer in no. When I was in Africa several years ago I met a village chief 115 years old. He told me when he made a ruling it was final when he put his foot down. Interesting!
Oh, my word! Now that you say it, I remember my father used that, too. Very seldom, but it was final. He would say, “No, I’m putting my foot down,” and that was the end of the discussion. The same phrase the tribal chief said. Amazing!
I really had to think to remember some of those. I wonder if those pithy sayings are dying out, or if they just stay in families.
I only knew my maternal grandparents, and they only spoke Russian. I’m sure they had some words of wisdom, but I never learned enough Russian to absorb any of it. They emigrated from St. Petersburg, had six kids while my grandfather worked at Crane Company Plumbing, his only job his entire life, and managed to not only support them all on his salary, but buy a triplex and a duplex in Chicago!
Sounds like your grandfather did more working than talking. He left a good legacy. It is a shame, though, that you didn’t learn their language.
Loved this, Robin! I don’t remember hearing the first one of Grandmother’s saying but do remember “Curiosity killed the cat”.
Yep. and i guess my cats aren’t very curious because they are all well into their teens.
Your grandparents had great sayings! Mom’s favorite was “Good things come to those who wait.” However she didn’t say how long you had to wait.
My dad had a couple that I’ve repeated many times in my life. One was “Hunger is the best sauce.” So true! The other, which I didn’t really grasp how profound it was until much later in life was “Knowing what you’re looking for helps you recognize it when you find it.”
My dad was one of the funnies people I have ever known and it was all natural.. “Money isn’t everything but it’s way ahead of what’s ever first!”. I have seen more personality in the head of a pin.” “You can’t win for losing ” When I wanted my first little girl to be named Robin – he said “Make sure you don’t marry a Banks or she will be Robin Banks. So many more but can’t remember. He also gave me great driving advise. “Expect stupid then you won’t be surprised when it happens”
I can’t believe you can remember all of those and many others too!
One of the funniest things my mom used to say when she was mad at one of us was “I’m going to tear you from limb to limb”. I always got a picture in my mind of arms and legs being flung around us.
My mother used that one, too. AND, she said “I’m going to snatch you bald-headed.” I never thought about it literally until one day my dad said, “Alice! Listen to what you’re saying!” I don’t think mother said either of those after that, but she must have herd it from her mother.