Famous Sayings - Exaggeration Betrays What People Try Hiding

Violent antipathies are always suspicious, and betray a secret affinity.

- A Quote from William Hazlitt

What can we learn from this famous saying about over-exaggeration and the betrayal of a secret affinity?

I think the first time we learned and revealed this was as kids, when a boy liked a girl and was therefore meaner or more anti-girl in front of others and that particular girl. Secretly in his heart he liked that very girl and betrayed the inner secret through obvious and exaggerated anti-behavior. Notice that this says Violent…not in a physical sense but in a mental sense…in other words…in an extreme or exaggerated way.

There are other instances of true antipathies, and they may be strong, though not exaggerated in the extreme. The difference is the exaggeration. When an individual tries to hide something, they may go through lengths to hide it, and actually reveal it instead by overdoing it. There are numerous other examples of this, from spies to those being overly friendly, and others I can think of.

What to do with this famous saying...

Know this principle and watch it played out from time to time…it’s interesting and more often holds true than not. The usefulness comes when you need to know the truth The most obvious way to tell the truth is to put it to a test…once you do this the truth is usually revealed.

- Your Famous Sayings and Quotes Blogger

Subscribe to Famous Sayings & Quotes

Famous Sayings - Don't Be An Appeaser

An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.

- A Quote from -Sir Winston Churchill

What can we learn from this famous saying about appeasers?

Definitely sounds like a quote from whom it was attributed. Think of the nations that appeased Adolf Hitler in WW2. Hitler was the crocodile, and the appeasing country was the one that was passive and non-hostile, even signing a treaty with Hitler. Yet this did not end the croc’s hunger. The croc is a large animal and had to come back for more. When it did, even if the last meal, was a meal nonetheless and was still eaten.

Did any good come out of such a longer life, other than prolonged worry and fear? The point here is an appeaser is useless and folly and therefore shouldn’t be. The crocodile will still get to the appeaser even though it may take a while. A better strategy and approach is called for in order to survive.

What to do with this famous saying

Never appease anyone. Instead, either stand your ground, or ally fully, but don’t appease because it just means you’re weak and can’t be trusted, and are easy prey.

- Your Famous Sayings and Quotes Blogger

Subscribe to Famous Sayings & Quotes

Famous Sayings - Why Worry is a Waste of Time

When you don't have any money, the problem is food. When you have money, it's sex, when you have both, it's health, you worry about...something. If everything is simply ok, then you're frightened of death.

- A Quote from J.P. Donleary

What can we learn from this famous saying or quotable quote about worry?

There will not be a time when we are dealt a hand that's worry free. Rich or poor, believe it or not, worry will be in plenty. If worry is worth it, then should it not be for something exceedingly important? In addition, if worry is not there, does something not feel terribly wrong?

Unfortunate that it should be this way but it is…worry is a part of life. To say don’t worry at all is a farce…because worry is in life. Nevertheless there is something we can do about it, order to make it less prevalent in our lives, and that is to make worry our enemy in most respects, except for areas where it came in handy and made us do things to prevent catastrophe.

What to do with this famous saying

First, minimize worry to the greatest extent possible. Second, whatever worry remains, tone it down a notch and make it become concern for something worthwhile and important. Once we do that, we make worry an ally rather than an enemy. Worry paralyzes useful action is also called fear. Worry that results in useful action is called smart action, but should not be driven by fear.

- Your Famous Sayings and Quotes Blog

Subscribe to Famous Sayings & Quotes

Famous Sayings - What To Do When The Bad Combine

When bad men combine, the good must associate else they will fall, one by one, an upitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.

-Edmund Burke

A quick comment:

This point is in line with my previous commentary and therefore fits to reinforce the importance of it. Why is it that there seems to be more bad than good that combine?

There are several explanations of this, none of which point in any way towards a washed out humanistic idea that people are born inherently good! In fact, the one who said man was inherently good was himself inherently evil, but most unfortunate didn’t even know it, and led himself and many multitudes into a ditch, a pit, fiery hell itself even.

The opposite theory seems to be supported here…that men are inherently evil. You may say, how is a child evil? Well, childhood is indeed a period of grace, until an age of accountability is reached. What proves inherent evil in all is the mere fact that an age of accountability exists, along with rules, punishments and consequences.

Evil is curbed by many things, laws and rules being one of many. Another is less evil things against more evil things. Or better, much less evil, or more good, than evil. But it is a myth that this “good” that is combined is equally good through and through…perhaps we should have rather made a scale based on certain principles and degrees…and said anyone 6-10 combine as good, while 1-5 are evils.

The 6 and 7’s are those that may have evil deeds at times but can be at least bearable and can be lived with. Therefore good or at least the lesser evils, combine as alliances to defeat great evils. Yet we say good combines to fight evil. If it were really that good, then they wouldn’t want to fight anyhow….

What to do with this famous saying:

Though unfortunate and perhaps disappointing to many worldviews…truth, irregardless of opinion, must be allowed to be true…and if that means we tolerate those we can tolerate, and perhaps ally those in times of crisis that we must ally with, in order for the sake of expediency resist a greater and far more terrible evil.

If this happens, we do it and then be done with it, and either go our separate ways thereafter or at least sign accords that agree to disagree and agree to unite only in times like these…and perhaps that’s what the previous quote meant anyhow…that under normal times, unlike temporary crisis, we don’t entangle...

- Your Famous Sayings and Quotes Blog

Subscribe to Famous Sayings & Quotes

Famous Sayings - Innocent Until Proven Guilty Quote

Never make a defense or apology before you be accused.

-King Charles 1of Great Britain 1600-49

A quick comment about this famous saying:

First, the quote is significant because a King made it. Perhaps this is one who would know the value of such wisdom. If you make a defense before you are accused, you are considered "obviously guilty" buy most.

If you make no defense before you're accused, you remain in good standing until accused. If you are never accused, then you remain in good standing rather than cause your own defeat. If you offer an apology, you're guilty.

- Your Famous Sayings and Quotes Blog

Subscribe to Famous Sayings & Quotes

Famous Sayings - What To Avoid As You Get Older

Men of age object too much, consult too long, adventure too little, repent too soon.

-Francis Bacon

A quick comment:

Yes, how true this is. When I was 20, I had a will that wouldn’t quit. In my 30's some of that faded a bit and the wit did begin to take over…whether by being witty or by using wit to get things dine rather than necessarily by sheer will.

I guess I have yet to personally experience the judgment part since I’m not yet 40 but am getting close. No matter, I’ve seen it enough…experience and maturity combine to form judgment…and that’s why most CEOs or senior executives are 40 or older…that’s where better judgment resides. Even at 30 I’m willing to admit this...

What to do with this famous saying:

Try to use a bit more of the other principles in age groups you are not in. If you’re in your 30’, keep your 20's energy but try to judge like you're in your 40's, and have the maturity if you can (I know, some of that only comes with age and experience).

Nonetheless, try your best. If you’re in your 20’s, be smart and witty yet focus on maturity! For those in their 40’s and beyond, keep an open mind and don't be so stubborn, yet also don't dwell on things too long, move on!

- Your Famous Sayings and Quotes Blog

Subscribe to Famous Sayings & Quotes

Famous Sayings - A Simple and Wise Foreign Policy

Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations-entangling alliance with none.

- Thomas Jefferson

A quick comment:

Here we see Isolationism vs Expansionism at play. Would we have the resources, the drive, the energy and commitment and most importantly the experience and the influence to actually keep the world more stable? Or would foe have taken advantage of us and our desire for peace, while cutting us to the bones not for weakness or lack of preparedness but for greatness beyond measure which we could not have resisted and would have had to succumb to because of sheer inability to resist all alone?

I think of the book The Lord of the Rings here. In book one, The Fellowship of the Ring, at the council of Elrond it was decided that an alliance that was previously great and had resisted evil was again needed, and that the microcosm of which would be represented by members of each region that had a strong interest in preservation of their borders and peoples yet needed strength against a large and powerful foe. It was a "united we stand, divided we fall" lesson to be sure.

Although this was a great risk and didn’t work out exactly as planned, for the most part it did…because the numbers of those on the side of evil were exceedingly great, but the important alliances of the seemingly weaker endured.

But the council was also not interested in expansionism for any other sake than defense. That is an important lesson to remember.

What to do with this famous saying:

First, do not be ignorant. Do not take a narrow view of issues because often there are many more things involved that we cannot possibly see, or that one who advised so wisely didn’t have as a consideration as we do today. So first, seek to understand and know more and then make decisions that take into consideration all that you should. Sometimes situations call for greater action. But once this is over, then things should go back to normal. That was the lesson in the Lord of the Rings, as I see it.

Second, know the arguments, counterarguments and then the more complex points that make for a better decision than what may seem obvious. Though there may not be more than two decisions there may be more than one reason for each decision and it’s your duty to know the better reasons than the obvious before making a decision. Once this is done, then you can rest assured that your due diligence will help you make a decision that you cannot possibly regret.

I am sure there is a balanced middle and Jefferson's quote about entangling alliances seems to have found a balance, has it not?

- Your Famous Sayings and Quotes Blog

Subscribe to Famous Sayings & Quotes