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Quote of the day (applied to sailing)

9K views 71 replies 41 participants last post by  flyingwelshman 
#1 ·
"When trouble arises and things look bad, there's always on individual who perceives a solution and is willing to take command. Very often that person is a half-wit."

BoatUS Cruising Logs

Go ahead add your favorites
 
#2 ·
My tag line says it all,

Luke Foxe was a very perceptive man.
 
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#6 ·
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do, than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
- Mark Twain

Ya know, I think I just might add this to my signature...
 
#9 ·
My personal mantra...
"Work is over-rated"



Probably should be filed under famous last words but...
"Hold my beer and watch this..."
 
#14 · (Edited)
Probably should be filed under famous last words but...
"Hold my beer and watch this..."
It's a rednecks last words and is more properly worded;

"Hey Y'all, hold ma beer'n watch THIS".

You regularly see it in action on those crash & burn type TV shows. :D
 
#11 ·
"low visibility means that you can see very little of the bad weather" Jessica Watson Jan 7, 2010
Reminds of this defintion from ColRegs

Vessels shall be deemed to be in sight of one another only when one can be observed visually from the other.
I would love to know what led to the need for this definition. :confused:
 
#16 ·
Persistance is better than brilliance.

I don't know said this, but I have seen it play out many times. John
I believe that is the second corollary to "I'd rather be lucky than good". ;)
 
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#13 ·
"Be who you are, Because if you are who you aren't, then you aren't who you are."

-- Monica, from 9th grade. I actually made some changes based on this. It made perfect sense back then.

"My dad told me to every day do something that scares you"

-- The guy on Bearing Sea Gold, this past week. Applies best when used with the next quote, but I used it a little to build up extra courage to remove the heat exchanger from the engine yesterday.

"In any social situation, the most difficult action is often the best."

-- Read it online somewhere. It's untested but very interesting.

"Where you stand depends on where you sit." and the follow-on "Where you sit depends on who you know."

-- Read it online somewhere. I've know the first part for 20 years. If I had known the second part years ago, I might have gone to the bar a little more instead of studying so much."

Regards,
Brad
 
#15 ·
"In any social situation, the most difficult action is often the best."

-- Read it online somewhere. It's untested but very interesting. Regards, Brad
I read a line years ago that may be the origin of that.

"In any moral or ethical decision, the hardest choice is the correct one".

That one HAS been tested and found accurate. :)
 
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#18 · (Edited)
Not necessarily sailing related, but I found a source for some of my qoutes. Many of them can be adapted to become more sailing related. For instance docking fits well with this one:
The probability of someone watching you is proportional to the stupidity of your action.
Hartley's First Law
If you are a qoute-ifile (qoutaholic?), then take a look here: The Quotations Home Page - Laws - Series 15

An excerpt (Cole's Law is the funniest)

- A -
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When the plane you are on is late, the plane you want to transfer to is on time.
The Airplane Law

Almost anything is easier to get into than out of.
Allen's Law

Don't force it; get a larger hammer.
Anthony's Law of Force

Any tool when dropped, will roll into the least accessible corner of the workshop.
Anthony's Law of the Workshop

On the way to the corner, any dropped tool will first strike your toes.
Corollary to Anthony's Law of the Workshop

Every instructor assumes that you have nothing else to do except study for that instructor's course.
Fourth Law of Applied Terror

The night before the English History mid-term, your biology instructor will assign 200 pages on planaria.
Corollary to the Fourth Law of Applied Terror

If you are given an open-book exam, you will forget your book.
Fifth Law of Applied Terror

If you are given a take-home exam, you will forget where you live.
Corollary to the Fifth Law of Applied Terror

If it should exist, it doesn't.
Arnold's First Law of Documentation

If it does exist, it's out of date.
Arnold's Second Law of Documentation

Only useless documentation transcends the first two laws.
Arnold's Third Law of Documentation

If you can't learn to do it well, you should learn to enjoy doing it badly.
Ashleigh's First Law

Interchangeable parts won't.
Laws of Assembly, II

- B -
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No matter which way you ride, it's uphill and against the wind.
First Law of Bicycling

What you don't know will always hurt you.
First Law of Blissful Ignorance

Inside every small problem is a large problem struggling to get out.
Second Law of Blissful Ignorance

The remaining work to finish in order to reach your goal increases as the deadline approaches.
Bove's Theorem

The first pull on the cord ALWAYS sends the drapes in the wrong direction.
Boyle's Other Law

Whenever a system becomes completely defined, someone discovers something which either abolishes the system or expands it beyond recognition.
Brooke's Law

- C -
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you tell the boss you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the next morning you will have a flat tire.
Cannon's Law

You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you Can't Fool Mom.
Captain Penny's Law

The only things that start on time are those that you're late for.
Cayo's Law

No project was ever completed on time and within budget.
Cheops Law

Hot glass looks the same as cold glass.
Dominic Cirino's Law of Burnt Fingers

When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.
Clarke's First Law

The limits of the possible can only be defined by going beyond them into the impossible.
Clarke's Second Law

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
Clarke's Third Law

Shredded cabbage goes great with shredded carrots and mayonnaise.
Cole's Law

Any given program, when running, is obsolete.
Laws of Computer Programming, I

Any given program costs more and takes longer.
Laws of Computer Programming, II

If a program is useful, it will have to be changed.
Laws of Computer Programming, III

If a program is useless, it will have to be documented.
Laws of Computer Programming, IV

Any program will expand to fill available memory.
Laws of Computer Programming, V

The value of a program is proportional to the weight of its output.
Laws of Computer Programming, VI

Program complexity grows until it exceeds the capabilities of the programmer who must maintain it.
Laws of Computer Programming, VII

Any non-trivial program contains at least one bug.
Laws of Computer Programming, VIII

Undetectable errors are infinite in variety, in contrast to detectable errors, which by definition are limited.
Laws of Computer Programming, IX

Adding manpower to a late software project makes it later.
Laws of Computer Programming, X
Regards,
Brad
 
#22 ·
When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.
Clarke's First Law

The limits of the possible can only be defined by going beyond them into the impossible.
Clarke's Second Law

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
Clarke's Third Law
Arthur C, Clarke was truly one of the worlds most brilliant and rational men. I have long felt that his science fiction writing was actually detrimental to his reputation as a scientist. Think of it - he invented GCA (ground controlled approach) for aircraft and the geostationary satellite among other things. A truly brilliant mind and a wonderfully entertaining writer, who never forgot how things appeared to those of us with less exceptional minds.
 
#19 ·
always loved this quote

To svjobeth:

A friend of mine wrote it on a birthday card several years ago. I have had it on my office wall and in a frame on the boat since.

Just trying to earn enough of a kitty to live it.
 
#24 ·
To svjobeth:

A friend of mine wrote it on a birthday card several years ago. I have had it on my office wall and in a frame on the boat since.

Just trying to earn enough of a kitty to live it.
That's the catch for most of us. In the meantime, life happens. :)
 
#21 ·
"You can't polish a turd"
On one episode the Mythbusters proved you actually CAN polish a turd - Heinemann achieved a nice, hand rubbed finish on one. :laugher

Gives a whole new slant on restoring old boats.
 
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#26 ·
Don't ask what the world needs; ask what makes you come alive, and GO DO IT. Because what the world needs is more people who have come alive. (H Thurman):)
Makes one think Kennedy read this before his "Ask not..." speech.
 
#25 ·
Sir Francis Chichester, when asked why he undertook such dangerous pastimes as sailing around the world alone, replied;

"Because it intensifies life"

I aways thought that was a better explanation than Hillary's "Because it's there", which required that you already "got it", whereas Chichester's actually gave an answer anyone could understand.
 
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#27 ·
"A ship in a harbor is safe ... but that is not what ships are for."
"Sail the wind you have."
"He who would be wise, learns from all the world."
"It's smarter to be lucky, than it's lucky to be smart."

... and the one in my signature, which is a variant of the Mark Twain quote cited earlier.
 
#33 ·
"A ship in a harbor is safe ... but that is not what ships are for."
I came across this quote one day and liked it so much, I had to use it as a sig. :D

My favorite quote comes from old "Silent Cal" - Calvin Coolidge. He was a strong introvert and, I suspect, may be the only US President who was. He said:

Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence.

Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.

Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.

Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.

Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.​

Tom
That's definitely a good one!

Here's a few I've run across:

"There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats." -Kenneth Graham

When picking out that not so new looking boat-
"Rough diamonds may sometimes be mistaken for worthless pebbles" -Sir Thomas Browne

"There's no thrill in easy sailing when the skies are clear and blue, there's no joy in merely doing things which any one can do. But there is some satisfaction that is mighty sweet to take, when you reach a destination that you never thought you'd make." ~Anonymous
 
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#29 ·
The first ninety percent of a project takes ninety percent of the time and money budgeted, while the last ten percent of the project takes another ninety percent of the time and money budgeted.

(With apologies to whomever wrote the "Ninety-ninety Rule" for software developers)
 
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#38 ·
"those that cannot do, teach.
those that cannot teach, Write the exams."
I read a variation on this that I quite like;

Those that can, do
Those that can't, teach
Those that can't teach, become critics
 
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#31 ·
My favorite quote comes from old "Silent Cal" - Calvin Coolidge. He was a strong introvert and, I suspect, may be the only US President who was. He said:

Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence.

Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.

Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.

Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.

Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.​

ccriders, you and I must think a lot alike!

Tom
 
#35 ·
My favorite quote comes from old "Silent Cal" - Calvin Coolidge. He was a strong introvert and, I suspect, may be the only US President who was. He said:

Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence.

Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.

Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.

Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.

Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.​

ccriders, you and I must think a lot alike! Tom
Truer words were never spoken. As for "Silent Cal" quotes, my favourite is apocryphal and credited to Dorothy Parker. She was famous as a witty conversationalist and was at a White House party. She approached Coolidge saying "Mr. President, I have made a bet that I can get you to say more than two words to me".

His reply? "You lose." :cool::laugher
 
#32 ·
If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable.
- Lucius Annaeus Seneca​
 
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#34 ·
This one seems appropriate for this board:

"Only the guy who isn't rowing has time to rock the boat."
- Jean-Paul Sartre​
 
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#36 ·
Now that I have shipped my societal oars, I can see the truth in that one. ;)
 
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