Raincoast Proverbs
©1996-2017 Roedy Green of Canadian Mind Products
The Crab Thrower
The waves washed crabs up onto the beach where they perished in
the hot sun. A black boy ran along the beach picking up the crabs, tossing them back into
the water. A man said, Why do you bother? There are millions of
crabs. You can barely make a dint. The boy replied It matters
to this crab! as he tossed yet another.
Eternal Punishment
Those who wear hair shirts are punished in the afterlife by
being told it was all for naught.
Dolphin Proverb
You have to catch your own fish.
Faith
Faith is a verb.
Pleasing
You can’t please everybody. Even God disappoints somebody. Some
people pray for sunshine, some for rain.
Pressure
No one can pressure you without your permission.
Help
If you ask for help, what will everyone think? — that you are just
like everyone else.
Asking
Why won’t anyone help? Perhaps you could try asking.
Promises
It is OK to remind people of their promises they have not yet kept.
Prayer
I prayed for strength. A Bowflex machine arrived by Fedex, COD.
Oneness
Everyone helps answer my prayers.
Mother Theresa
A man once said to Mother Theresa, Mother, why
do you bother? What you do is only a drop in the bucket compared to what is really
needed Mother T. replied, Without my drop there could be no
bucket.
Definition of Insanity
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a
different result.
~ Rita Mae Brown (1944-11-28 age:73)
in Sudden Death
often misattributed to Benjamin Franklin.
Persistence is great, but you must persist with something that
works.
Speaking
Before you speak, ask:
- Is it true?
- Is it kind?
- Is it necessary?
Before you hold silent, ask:
- am I misleading?
- am I withholding?
- am I cowardly?
Trust
When in doubt, trust.
Mania
I have not lost my mind;
I just misplaced it.
Being Useful
Even the master craftsman’s favourite hammer spends most of
its time recovering from blows or waiting on the bench.
Sharing
When somebody shares, everybody benefits.
Craftsmanship
Make something beautiful for God.
Mother Theresa
Sacrifice
When playing chess, sacrifice is not always the best move.
Hammering
When a big hammer does not work, try a smaller one.
Shouting
When shouting does not work, try whispering.
Joyce’s Observation
God’s will for me is usually at the end of my nose.
Joyce Cousins
Jimmy’s Observation
Even if you are an angel, in a bright light, you will
still have a shadow side.
James Loewen
Spider’s Observation
Shared pain is reduced; shared joy is multiplied.
Spider Robinson
Perspective
To leaves, a celebration of rain is a day of rest.
To donkeys, a donkey is anything that invites him to mount.
To an earthworm, the purpose of humans is to produce dung.
To a mushroom, bullshitting is cool.
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