Little bits of advice...

I came across this bit of wonderfulness yesterday in the strangest of places, Amazon.com.  But, I like it a lot, so I thought I could share it with anyone who actually cares to read what I have to say!

Below is a guest post by psychologist Dr. Mardy Grothe, author of six books of qoutations. His newest book Neverisms is a comical, and at times even instructive, collection of things never to do.
When people say things like "Always do your best" they're engaging in the time-honored practice of exhortation. But what is the proper term for strongly-worded attempts to discourage people—as when people say things like "Never ruin an apology with an excuse." The proper term is dehortation, the opposite of exhortation. That word is rare, though, so I've coined my own term for these kinds of strongly-worded cautionary warnings. I've also used it to title my new book. In Neverisms: A Quotation Lover's Guide to Things You Should Never Do, Never Say, or Never Forget, you will find nearly 2,000 pieces of "dissuasive advice given with authority." Some are ancient, but with modern relevance.


1) "Never dare to judge until you have heard the other side." --Euripides, 5th century B.C.
2) "Never promise more than you can perform." --Publilius Syrus, 1st century B.C.

Some come from modern, and even slightly unexpected, voices:

3) "Never dull your shine for somebody else." --Tyra Banks
4) "Never let go of the fiery sadness called desire." --Patti Smith

Even legendary sports stars have gotten into the act:

5) "Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit."--Wilma Rudolph
6) "Never let the fear of striking out get in your way." --"Babe" Ruth

Some have an impressive metaphorical quality:

7) "Never cut what you can untie."--Joseph Joubert
8) "Never offer your heart to someone who eats hearts." --Alice Walker

And some are beautiful examples of paradoxical phrasing:

9) "Never let your sense of morals keep you from doing what is right." --Isaac Asimov
10) "Do you wish men to speak well of you? Then never speak well of yourself."--Blaise Pascal

The conclusion? Never underestimate the power of a neverism to improve your life.