Power up with Proverbs

Poor folks are glad of porridge

2009-07-05T07:24:00.000+01:00

Porridge is a tasty, cheap nutritious meal but many people turn their noses up at it, preferring fancy packaged cereals. If you are having a problem with a tight budget it is well worth considering. The moral here is the importance of recognising your realities and adjusting to them. Cut your coat according to your cloth is the same idea of living within your means and making the best of

Poor men are apt to think everybody flouts them

2009-06-28T09:03:00.001+01:00

When you are at the bottom of the heap you think everyone is on top of you. Well, this is a surprise? Knowing your humble position can make you oversensitive to criticism, real or imagined. Things you might laugh at or pass over when things are going well and your confidence is high will prey on your mind and seem barbed when you feel weak and vulnerable.One obvious answer is to increase your

"Pretty pussy" will not feed a cat

2009-06-21T06:53:00.002+01:00

The human race has one really effective weapon and that is laughter. - Mark Twain. This book shows you how:700 Limericks & How to Write Them by William Clark"Pretty pussy" will not feed a catThis is a variant of the idea behind: Fine words butter no parsnips. In other words: You gotta walk the walk not just talk the talk. Politicians discover at a young age that if they talk well and learn to

A brave retreat is a brave exploit

2009-06-14T07:36:00.002+01:00

The human race has one really effective weapon and that is laughter. - Mark Twain. This book will arm you:700 Limericks & How to Write Them by William ClarkThe high point of Old Western films was the arrival of the cavalry with trumpets blaring and guns blazing. Attacks are always more satisfying than retreats but: he who fights and runs away lives to fight another day. In World War II the

A shut book is but a block

2009-06-07T07:53:00.002+01:00

If you don't read you don't learn; if you don't learn you can't do; if you can't do you don't earn. We are being encouraged here to apply ourselves to the acquisition of knowledge. In the day when this saying was first coined, books were probably hard to come by and a privilege to own; so not making full use of them would have been seen as foolish.Today we are inundated with knowledge and our

A deluge of words and a drop of sense

2009-05-31T07:34:00.001+01:00

This saying could have been written for politicians. How much do we take away from the average conversation, political address, or even the news? Often not a lot. The modern world is filled with information - so much so that we can't cope. At one time there were polymaths - people who tried to master all known subjects - but that age is long gone. Today we need coping strategies to filter out all

Empty vessels make the most noise

2009-05-24T08:45:00.002+01:00

Try dropping a sauce pan early in the morning and the literal truth of this is very evident. The idea is, of course, that people who don't know very much are always convinced of the greatness of what little they do know. Experience tends to teach you to be wary of jumping to conclusions, and as you acquire deeper wisdom you learn to be more tolerant and understanding of others. It is very rarely

The fish will soon be caught that nibbles at every bait

2009-05-17T07:39:00.001+01:00

This saying could have been made for the Internet Age when our inboxes are filled with emails offering goods or services. Information overload is the downside of the technological revolution that brought the PC to our desktops. How to deal with masses of emails, and other information, overloading the mind and causing inertia is a problem.A useful strategy is to form clear goals and delete

Fair words make me look to my purse

2009-05-10T07:09:00.001+01:00

If someone wants something out of you they know that the gentle art of persuasion is the best method of getting under your radar. Conmen perfect the ability to convince you that they are your friend by saying the right thing and making you feel good. Mostly they like to get you tempted into a situation where you might feel you are getting a slight advantage over others - even bordering on the

Trust not one night's ice

2009-05-03T07:30:00.002+01:00

Warnings about skating on thin ice are very common. It might seem like common sense but there is always a new generation that has to learn its lesson. When I was a child I was lagging behind a group of kids that crossed a small, ice-covered stream. As I hurried to catch up, I trod on the ice and immediately sank up to my neck in icy water. I gave a wild yell and the guys at the rear caught my

Truth hath a good face but bad clothes

2009-04-26T08:10:00.002+01:00

Honesty is genuine and not given to pretense. There is a classic image of the poor but honest individual who might not present themselves well but have hearts of gold. This is a person you can trust and rely on. They will share their humble crust.Their opposite is the typical con man who is an expert on presentation. He knows and understands human weakness and his trade is exploiting it. He seeks

He that is won with a nut may be lost with an apple

2009-04-19T08:36:00.001+01:00

This is a caution against bought friends. If you seek to make friends by doing people favors they will not be sincere - just value you for what they can get out of you. The best way to make friends is by being yourself and letting others see what they have in common with you. There might be a tactical short term value in sucking up to someone but long term they will be of little consequence. If

He that measures not himself is measured

2009-04-12T07:07:00.002+01:00

This saying deals with the idea of self-criticism. Unless you consider your own performance, and how well you have measured up to expectations, others will be quick to spot your shortcomings. It is a recommended practice to self-assess regularly - to have goals and objectives that can be quantified and measured in some way. Regular assessment lets you know how you are doing and where you need to

Put your finger in the fire and then say it was your misfortune

2009-04-05T07:52:00.003+01:00

This appears to be a variant on play with fire and you will get burned. We are all tempted by situations that have an element of danger - a little adrenaline boost perks us up and makes life seem exciting. When we find we like a little of something there is a logic in thinking: if a little gives a buzz a bit more will give a bigger buzz. And so many of the ills that plague mankind begin. The drug

When God says "today" the devil says "tomorrow"

2009-03-29T08:31:00.002+01:00

Don't put off till tomorrow what can be done today is the same idea. People have long recognised that humans have a tendency to procrastinate. The trouble is that having made a decision you then have to live with the consequences for good or ill. It is therefore tempting to put off a choice till the last moment.Those who study these things and offer advice will tell you to make lists, prioritise

He that studies his content wants it

2009-03-22T07:04:00.001Z

This saying suggests that only those who are discontented are to be found pondering the nature of contentment. Put another way: only unhappy people are concerned with the pursuit of happiness. You never miss the water till the well runs dry is a very well known saying and all of us have experienced it.The wisdom here seems to be telling us that if we go about our lives in a sensible, active way

The habit does not make the monk

2009-03-15T07:50:00.002Z

This could be a play on words as habit can refer to a regular practice or a monk's cloak.Here we are being advised that just because someone professes to be something or goes through the motions it does not follow that they are genuine. The proof of the pudding lies in the eating thereof. Many people convince themselves that appearances are what counts, and that the image they project is the

The house shows its owner

2009-03-08T07:19:00.000Z

Our homes are to some extent an expression of ourselves. They demonstrate our ambitions and make statements about our aspirations. Given time and unlimited resources we would externalise our personalities in what we build. Our follies and weaknesses would be plain to all but ourselves. If you look at some of the buildings commissioned by the super wealthy you get the idea. From extravagant tower

Those who starve together stick together

2009-03-01T07:38:00.002Z

Adversity tends to form a common bond: in dangerous occupations like mining and soldiering people have traditionally formed strong supportive communities. The men become a band of brothers and the women support each other -- never knowing when a husband will be lost or a child need help.To a family on the breadline, survival is uppermost in their minds, and they recognise the need for each other.

Poverty parts friends

2009-02-22T07:51:00.002Z

Poor relations can be an embarrassment. Who wants to listen to you modestly bragging about your latest expensive acquisition when they are on food stamps? Some people are poor through their own follies and others through misfortune but it rubs it in if friends start to progress in opposite directions. If your friends are struggling while you are becoming successful you will have less and less in

Love makes one fit for any work

2009-02-15T07:58:00.001Z

Poets have long hailed the inspiring power of love; from Helen of Troy to the cute girl next door, no self-respecting weilder of the pen can do without the sublime influence of a lovely lady. Not many people would rush to regard poetry writing as work but for those to whom it is a vocational calling it is almost as important as the loaf of bread won by much toil in field and factory.The poet has

Love lives in cottages as well as in courts

2009-02-08T07:48:00.000Z

Amour courtois, courtly love, was very fashionable in Europe in the High Middle Ages of the 12th century. Possibly drawing some inspiration from the Arab world, it began in the French aristocratic courts and is particularly associated with Eleanor of Aquitaine who was queen of France and, later, Queen of England. She loved the attention of the troubadour poets and singers and displays of refined,

Rest breeds rust

2009-02-01T08:01:00.001Z

The balance between work and play is a difficult one to get right. Shakespeare observed: "If all the year were holidays to play would be as tedious as to work." Most people work because they need to earn money and are usually tempted by extra income to work longer hours. Knowing when to stop and put family and friends first is a difficult judgement to make but if you take too much time off then

The house is a fine house when good folks are within

2009-01-24T07:57:00.002Z

The wealthy man in his mansion has a fine house to show off to his friends but are they true friends or just attracted to his wealth? Fair-weather friends are not there when you need them.The poor man with his simple abode knows true happiness when genuine friends come to share his table and enjoy each other's company. The quality of the surroundings doesn't matter when the people are genuine. In

Ol' Jim (Magic in Them Feet)

2009-01-18T08:44:00.002Z

A friend in need is a friend indeedToday I would like to tell you about a man who was a friend to many.This is the age of the Internet and, as you know, it is constructed from software. In the background in homes and offices all over the globe men and women struggle away to produce the programs we all now rely on. Many of these toilers are self-employed with no colleagues or fellow workers for