Wherever a man dwells, there will be a thorn bush near his door

Wherever a man dwells, there will be a thorn bush near his door.

Wherever you live, whatever you do, there will always be problems. Perfection is unknown to mere mortals so you had better get used to life's aggravations because they are never very far away.

Civilization is primarily concerned with Man's attempt to dominate and control his environment. In the early days of life organisms slowly changed, adapted and evolved to the environments in which they lived, but humans learned to adapt the environment itself. But however good we get at it, there is always another problem. Pause for a moment, and Nature seizes the opportunity to fight back.

It follows that your life philosophy must include a "permanent effort" clause. The golden moments when everything is going great do not last, and "constant vigilance" is the watch word. There is always a thorn near you, and the chances are your foot is heading for it.

A colt is worth nothing unless he break his cord

A colt is worth nothing unless he break his cord.

A dull, docile horse might have its uses but without a bit of youthful spirit it does not show much promise.

Applied to humans this saying is telling us that a young man who kicks over the traces is not necessarily all bad, just experiencing the difficulties of growth and adaptation that we all must go through. Many young men pass through a tearaway phase in their youth but later mature into fine adults and worthy partners and fathers.

The rites of passage from youth to adulthood are often fraught with conflicts and emotional outbursts as the young person struggles to come to an understanding of themselves and the time that they are a part of. If everyone accepted the status quo in a dull-witted, subservient manner there would never be any progress. A civilization must have the flexibility and strength to be constantly adaptation to new challenges and changing circumstances.

The careers of many successful people often show a time when they were rebels and perhaps helped to establish a new trend. Such people can often refer back to a time when an establishment figure told them they were a waste of space and would amount to nothing in life. Years later they are multimillionaires and their critic is still doing a boring regular job or surviving on a small pension. Some young men are, of course, just a complete pain and need a good telling to put them right, and you can never be sure if it was the wise old voice that set them on the right course, by giving them something to prove, or they would have achieved everything anyway.

A spirited colt, once broken in and trained, makes a fine horse. As another saying has it: Fortune favors the bold.

Life is nine parts cards - one part skill.

Life is nine parts cards - one part skill.

How do some people succeed and others fail?

Commonsense tells you that the number of people who can get the plum jobs is limited. It is a statistical thing. An army of officers wouldn't win many battles no matter how good their orders were. A company of brilliant bosses wouldn't get a lot of work done without the sloggers. If everyone became a millionaire a million would not buy very much.

Success is relative and for most people comes through being the right person in the right place at the right time. Get your place and timing wrong and the glittering career will not be yours. Conversely, if you are a complete incompetent your best opportunities will be wasted.

But if you get the lucky breaks and apply your skill success can be achieved. This saying seems to be telling us that ability cannot flourish unless there is some form of opportunity and these opportunities are limited. In other words you need the lucky break (good cards) and only then can your skills be used to take advantage. It would appear that when Lady Luck smiles it is time to get cracking and make the most of it. Every dog has his day.

All roads lead to Rome.

All roads lead to Rome.

This dates from the time of the Roman Empire when this would have been literally true of much of Europe. The Romans built great roads to move goods and troops with superb efficiency.

When the military might of Rome had passed away and been replaced with the power of the Roman Catholic Church this was used more metaphorically. In other words all true paths led to religious salvation. Whatever you were doing in life the true purpose was to get you to Heaven.

Perhaps today it could be understood as implying that all life has a common objective, whatever that might be.

A good wife and health are a man's best wealth

A good wife and health are a man's best wealth.

The stress must be on the good part of this saying.

Finding a good match, that ideal partner is fundamental to domestic happiness. Most people rely on their instincts in choosing a mate but how much is natural attraction and how much rationalized from acquired attitudes. If you have the wrong attitudes and values you might be seeking the wrong kind of person. If you end up with a mismatch then your health could suffer from the stress and worry that the rows and disagreements create.

If you are lucky and find that perfect life companion your happiness and good sense will help to give the best chance for a long, happy and healthy existence.

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A good head will get itself hats.

A good head will get itself hats.

Someone with a good head i.e. a competent, able person is likely to achieve success and wear the hat signifying their position.

Quite often, in many diverse human societies, rank or social importance has been indicated by the type of headgear a person wore. In the Britain of the Victorian era, lasting to around W.W.II when the fashion for men wearing hats died out, the managerial classes wore bowler hats and the workers a flat cap. The expression going cap in hand to the boss denotes this subservience.

In Native American tribes the war bonnet of eagle feathers showed someone who had demonstrated their courage and achievement in battle. A brave with a cool head in a crisis could get a feather in his cap.

The different ranks in organized armies often have different hats so that the soldiers know who to follow and salute. The ambitious person might aim to get himself promoted with the vision of putting on the coveted hat symbol. In the UK, paratroopers aspire to wear the red beret that shows they have achieved the honor of membership of the Parachute Regiment.

A Scottish Highland chieftain is entitled to have an eagle feather in his bonnet as an insignia of his position and the more important ones have two. The ultimate hat symbol of success is the monarch's crown.

Hats of course are also worn by ladies to enhance and project their femininity. There is an old saying to set one's cap at from the 18th century, when women wore fine, white linen or muslin caps that needed to be tied in place with ribbon. It meant trying to win a man's affections by setting a jaunty angle to their cap and showing off the crowning glory of their hair.

The Easter bonnet is worn by Christian churchgoers and is a colorful way of expressing the joy of the return of spring.

So, if you want to get ahead get a hat.

Work wont kill but worry will

Work wont kill but worry will.

They also say "hard work never harmed anyone, but how true is that? There are many work-related illnesses, and indeed the fingers typing this entry suffer from RSI! So it makes sense to worry about over-work or poor working conditions.

If that isn't bad enough the worry itself can be a problem. Stress, high blood pressure, ulcers, heart attacks, nervous breakdowns can all be linked to stress at work.

Learning good coping mechanisms, sensible working practices and getting appropriate time off for rest and relaxation is imperative. It is often the hardworking conscientious person who suffers most and a good, responsible manager will see to it that this type of person is not unduly and unfairly burdened. Do not kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.

He that would right understand a man must read his whole story

He that would right understand a man must read his whole story

How often have you jumped to conclusions about someone then had to revise your opinion later? If you are a typical human it will have been quite often. First impression can be misleading and it is often necessary to give the benefit of the doubt.

Have you ever watched a TV account of a crime where the story is revealed bit by bit, showing the offense and the accusations. The evidence mounts up, people condemn the suspect, but as the end nears we are told other facts which leave us in no doubt that the person is innocent even though for most of the time we were convinced of their guilt.

Sometimes we need to make up our minds about someone very quickly and it is only human to err on the side of caution, but condemning someone on slight knowledge of the facts can and does lead to injustices. It is because of this our system of justice has developed to demand proof and testable evidence before conviction. This means that some guilty people go free but better that than the totally innocent languishing in jail.

It is important to get the facts and be wary of those with a vested interest in the outcome.


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He that would have the fruit must climb the tree

He that would have the fruit must climb the tree

Taken at face value this is not strictly true - ripe fruit will fall into your hands, and the low hanging fruit is easily grasped. This parallels many life situations where those first on the scene get the easy pickings.

After a new situation has settled down most people find they have to try hard to get what the lucky ones managed with ease. The first settlers in a new land get their pick of the best areas and the latecomers have to work for their share. When a new business opportunity or industry is starting it is often easier to succeed as the low hanging fruit is there for the taking. Have a look at the earliest films and see how easily pleased the first audiences were. Anyone with a cine-camera was assured of an appreciative audience. The acting was hammy and the directing dismal but it was new and exciting. Later, people wanted more sophisticated stuff and film makers had to develop a lot of skills and techniques to please them.

So, if the early birds have got all the worms, or fruit, be prepared to put in the effort to climb the ladder of success.


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