The Truest Statements I’ve Ever Heard

Every day, I talk to other people and hear what they have to say about life. Sometimes, throwaway lines or life axioms just strike me and stay with me. Here are a few phrases that people in my life have said to me that I’ve never forgotten (even if they have).

“That’s Why People Have Their Own Houses”

— Grandpa

My grandpa was a man of few words. I can’t really recall ever having a conversation with him, even though I saw him pretty much every week of my childhood and young adult life. But he was more of an observer than the center of attention. He just didn’t say much.

But every once in a while, just when you thought he wasn’t even paying attention, he’d chime in.

A lot of the time, it happened when someone in the family was gossiping.

“Can you believe what so-and-so did?”

That’s when he’d look up from his espresso or the TV and sigh.

“That’s why people have their own houses.”

What he meant was, don’t judge other people. What works for them might not work for you, and what works for you might not work for them. Just let them be, and let them do what they need to do. It’s none of your business.

“Nothing is Ever Easy”

— Dad

This one seems really simple, but I learned it at a very young age and it seems like every week, something happens that reminds me of how true it is.

My dad first said this to me when I was 14. I had just gotten my first cell phone, and I was beyond excited. I’d wanted a cell phone for years, I’d waited as patiently as I could, and finally it was here.

I took it home, but that night I realized something was wrong. The phone was somehow defective (I can’t remember how) and we needed to send it back and get a replacement. But Verizon was out of stock, and I needed to wait a few days before I could get the new phone.

Of course, it’s not the end of the world, but at 14, it was the end of my world.

“Why Dad?” I remember saying. “Just why? Why did this have to happen? I had it and now it’s gone. I don’t get it.”

He looked at me and said:

“It’s the simplest things that go wrong. Nothing is ever easy.”

Especially now that I’m an adult, I’m reminded of this all of the time. The grocer at the grocery store forgot to put my bananas in my bag, and now I’ve paid for them but I don’t have them. 99% of the time, the car dealership includes the vehicle registration in the paperwork they give you, but of course I realize after I’ve gone all the way downtown to get my city sticker that they didn’t give it to me. Out of the millions of cell phones that I could have gotten, I get the one that is defective.

The point is that you need to plan for the unexpected. You can bitch and moan and wonder why it happened to you, or you can remember that people and situations in life are imperfect, and even though it’s inconvenient, you just have to figure it out.

“You Think You’ll Be With The Person You’re Dating Forever”

— Dave

This little gem came from a friend of mine one day as we were sitting and talking in our college dorm room. I had just gone through a breakup, and we were talking about relationships. I think I had asked him if he ever thought he would marry a girl he had previously dated, and he replied:

“Of course. No matter how crazy it actually is, when you’re with someone, you think you’ll be with them forever.”

Another simple thing to say, but it’s true. No matter how incompatible you and another person really are, you can see a future with them. Because otherwise, what’s the point. Later on you might say that it was crazy, but when you’re in it, it’s not.