Stuff About Things
Bible Proverbs have always fascinated me, and in my early years I underscored many of them in my first Bible. I remember when I first became aware that uninspired men also wrote proverbs — that they are a literary form; and this helped me much in the interpretation of Hebrew proverbs. I believe God revealed His will to man in "divers manners" (various ways), but always suitable to his nature and understanding. A proverb states an observation of life, sometimes in a "dark saying," but always so as to impress its wisdom upon our mind and guide us to a better life.
Franklin's "Poor Richard's Almanac" preserved many proverbs of early days in this country, and reading a few of these caused me to wonder if I could find a few PLAIN TALK proverbs scattered through our pages. Some of the following were plucked word-for-word from past issues; some have been made from thoughts expressed there. Do not expect the wisdom of Solomon here.
"The capacity to love is directly related to the capacity to forget self." "Marriage is a 60-60 agreement; each must do more than 'fair share'."
"If you do not believe in you, why should others?" "Don't confuse lack of self- confidence with humility."
"We must see ourselves: poorly enough to be confident; well enough to be humble."
"What a man has, is not nearly so important as how he got it." "Riches are not worth what they cost."
Anyhow, "It is more fun to get than to possess." (Happiness is in the getting, not in the possessing.)
"Tomorrow's house is built with materials gathered today."
"Learn to value your fellow-man highly. If it were not for people, where would we be?" (Where indeed?)
"NOW is a very good time!"
"The best teacher is one who is still learning."
We skipped over such gems as "Very few die healthy;" "I ain't been doing nothing, and I'm going to quit that."