Quotes – Nathan and Miguel, Read This Anyway

Let me start with a quote from Nathan. This is his comment to my last blog. I include it here; because I don’t know how often people click the comments:

“You know Chris you have been going on and on for years making a career of telling me and Miguel that we never listen to you… you are right. Is that what you needed to hear?
“You were right, I needed to stop using credit.
“You were right, I needed to get a part time job to help pay it down.
“Heres the thing… I didn’t want to… but you were still right.
“Now, let’s turn the mirror onto yourself. You have been basically work 2 jobs for quote some time now. Have you paid off your debts?
“You should.
“You should get a 3rd job if needed. You should stop buying Dr. Pepper to save soooo much money.
“This is sound advice. It’s easy to give good, sound advice.
“Not too easy to actually do it though, is it?
“Put that ‘add-a-flvaour’ in your Dr. Pepper and drink it!
“Peace out.”

Neat.

Before I respond formally, this is a quote column, so I’ll start by responding with this apt quote:

“Action is greater than writing. A good man is a nobler object of contemplation than a great author. There are but two things worth living for: to do what is worthy of being written; and to write what is worthy of being read.” – Ross Perot

Now with that crap out of the way, let’s deal with what Nathan said for a moment. Is that what I needed to hear? That I was right? No! Nathan, I knew I was right. If I wasn’t sure, I might want to hear it, just for confirmation, but I already knew I was right. I didn’t need to hear it.

I see a much bigger problem right now than your finances, or even my finances, but I think the problem starts with us. That’s what I’m writing about. I just thought I’d drag you through the mud, because you were acting like you were some innocent victim.

So the mirror on me. I started one of the essays saying, “I’m single and loving it, I’m broke and hating it, and I’m Swedeswitzerstan and neutral about it.” Exact quote, almost. I will actually turn the mirror on me in one of the future columns, but it’s not going to be the same thing, because I’ve done the whole thing. I’ve worked three jobs simultaneously, I’ve paid down debt, and I even stopped drinking Dr. Pepper for a couple of weeks once because I had enough money for rent and no more money coming in until after it was due. But that’s not really my issue. We’ll deal with me later. For now let’s look at some other quotes:

“If you can’t stand a little sacrifice and you can’t stand a trip across the desert with limited water, we’re never going to straighten this country out.” – Ross Perot

“Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken.” – Warren Buffett

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.” – Henry Ford

“It is well enough that people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning.” – Henry Ford

“There is one rule for the industrialist and that is: Make the best quality of goods possible at the lowest cost possible, paying the highest wages possible.” – Henry Ford

“I don’t get high, but sometimes I wish I did. That way, when I messed up in life I would have an excuse. But right now there’s no rehab for stupidity.” – Chris Rock

“I just get things done instead of talking about getting them done. I don’t go out and party. I don’t smoke, drink or do drugs and I’m not married, that leaves a lot of time for my work.” – Henry Rollins

“So, one way or another, I found myself in a few movies. I take it seriously when I’m on the set, but I don’t take myself seriously as an actor.” – Henry Rollins

“I sometimes fall into the trap of doing what I think I should be doing rather than what I want to be doing.” – Bjork

“It’s funny how the hippies and the punks tried to get rid of the conservatives, but they always seem to get the upper hand in the end.” – Bjork

“I had a really good childhood up until I was nine, then a classic case of divorce really affected me.” – Kurt Cobain

”I started being really proud of the fact that I was gay even though I wasn’t.” – Kurt Cobain