Pet Precepts

Everybody probably has and tries, when they are so of a mind, to go by a string of pet precepts. One of the interesting aspects of these little mottos or whatever is to see how well they hold up under the test of time. As you know, time is like the forces of nature, in that it has a way of slowly and slyly but inevitably breaking down everything, even the beliefs that we may once have thought were truths impregnably sheathed in the thickest stainless steel. Maybe time IS a force of nature.

Nevertheless, of the ones that I didn't cook up myself, here, together with their orginal sources, are a few of my favorite precepts that leap most fondly to mind and so far have shown no signs of deterioration or refutation. I already posted these in a tiny AOL weblog that I had years ago, called "Orbido 727," and maybe I've included them in this weblog as well. But that was a while ago, and, as my mother liked to say, never mind, I'll just say them again.

A chicken ain't nothing but a bird. (Thanks, Mr. Wood!)

There are two sandwiches in every beer. (Thanks, Pierce!)

Never trust a naked bus driver. (Thanks, Jack Douglas!)

The dog barks but the caravan passes. (Thanks "Moon Over Morocco"!)

The day you make a decision is a lucky day. (Okinawan saying)

May the amount that remains in your glass be an exact measure of your evil intentions. (Russian toast)