Words of Wisdom Are Worth a Listen

When I was growing up, my elders always seemed to have a cliche' for certain situations.  Some of them made perfect sense to me because they were simple to understand, while others seemed long winded and confusing.  As I matured, I began to understand why my elders were telling me their stories or words of wisdom.  They didn't want me to make the same mistakes as they did.

Sometimes we learn from our mistakes, and unfortunately, sometimes we don't.  Making mistakes don't make us failures, not admitting we made them does.  It is human nature to be defensive, even when we know that we are wrong.  It takes a strong person to admit defeat.

The next time you are surrounded by your elders and hear a cliche', listen to what they are saying.  If you don't understand what it means, ask.

Here are a few popular cliches that you have probably heard before:

Actions speak louder than words

This one is self explanatory.  After all, you can talk all you want, and say you are going to do something all you want.  However, until you actually show or do what you say you are going to do, the words mean nothing.  They are merely words.

The grass is always greener on the other side

Is it though?  Or, is your perception of it that way.  Things aren't always what they appear to be.  

If you waste your time focusing on how things could be better and forget to appreciate what you have, you will surely never be happy.   Learn to appreciate what you have, because to someone else, it is greener.  Your grass is as green as you need it to be.

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree

Of course this has nothing to do with trees or fruit.  What it means is that we learn from example.  We are products of our upbringing. This includes some bad habits we acquire. Whether we like it or not,  many of our good or bad traits are instilled in us when we are young.  This makes us resemble our guardians when we are adults in some ways.

You can't judge a book by it's cover

This is true both literally and figuratively.  This cliche is based on the fact that people aren't always who they appear to be.  You can't just look at a person and know who or how they will be.   A person should be given the chance to present who they are over time and not be judged immediately.  The world would be a better place if we took the time to know a person before judging them.

Ignorance is bliss

Basically this means that sometimes it is better if you do not know all of the facts.  When we are young the world looks like such an exciting place and we want to be adults and have all of the great things that adults have.  As adults, we realize that many of the things we have cause heartache and aggravation and we see how the world around us really is.  Then, we want to be children again and have that naive point of view we had when we were young.

Better safe than sorry

Perhaps this is true.  But, some risks are worth taking.  I think that this cliche' is for those who are afraid to take chances in life.  Have you ever regretted not doing or saying something because you feared the outcome?  This cliche sums that all up.  I would rather have a life filled with failure than a life filled with regret.

What are some of your favorite cliches that you have heard or live by? 

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