Verbatim: What’s the Most Sensible Thing You’ve Ever Heard Someone Say?

Do you have a wise grandmother or dad who shared some words to live by? Is there a neighbor, author, colleague or movie character who said something sensible that caught your attention and continues to stay on your mind? Sensible sayings tend to have staying power! In this column, adopted from the familiar “Heard on the Street” format, we offer our responders a chance to answer the question posed in the title. These are their replies, reported verbatim. 

Wisdom Around Us 

The most sensible thing I’ve heard someone tell me is ‘noes are free.’ It has been something I live by now: not afraid of asking anything to anyone and not fearing rejection. Better to ask and know what the answer is than to not ask at all and wonder ‘what if?’ 

Sam Fung 
Emerson Fisher LP Gas 
McKinney, Texas 

‘Reserve judgment. You don’t know what other people have been through or are going through.’ We are living in a world where we see people struggling almost every day. It’s easy to criticize their circumstances, but that choice is almost always made without any context or knowledge. I’m happier when I remember that everyone has their own challenges and my judgment doesn’t help. 

Josh Simpson 
Little Kamper LP 
Manteca, California 

My wife, Allison, often reminds me that ‘people are complex.’ I have a tendency to label people as good or bad, optimists or pessimists, kind or unkind, based on one specific interaction. People are much more complicated than that and exhibit many different behaviors. I work hard to remember that I have to take the ‘bad’ along with the ‘good.’ Everyone deserves better than being labeled. 

Don Montroy 
Bergquist Inc. 
Rockford, Michigan 

My best friend Janice told me that saying, ‘I’m sorry, that doesn’t work for me,’ is an acceptable answer in certain circumstances. Instead of implying that you might be able to do something, or may be able to ‘whatever’ initially, and causing the other person to leave thinking it’s a done deal, just be up-front and direct. And you don’t have to explain your negative response either. You can just state the truth and move on. 

Leslie Woodward 
Fairview Fittings 
Oakville, Ontario, Canada 

My mother said to me years ago, ‘Never a borrower nor a lender be.’ She was talking about borrowing and lending amongst friends. I made the mistake of ignoring that advice a couple times and both times it did not work out well for me. Clearly, it was sage advice! Too many hard feelings are created when somebody doesn’t follow through with a promise! 

Judy Taranovich 
Proctor Gas Inc. 
Proctor, Vermont 

‘You can’t put an adult head on a child’s shoulders.’ This was advice given from my Grandma Sheehan to my mother many years ago. I repeat this to myself many times a day as I raise my children. It’s a good reminder that although my teenager looks more like an adult each day, her brain is still developing. As adults, I know we expect a lot of children, so it’s a good reminder that they’re young and still learning each day! 

Abby Thurston 
Rural Computer Consultants 
Bird Island, Minnesota 

There are so many sensible things that have been told to me. There were certainly times when I needed some sense knocked into me. Some of those ‘sensible sayings’ directed to me are not appropriate for this column. One that I like especially is when I am stuck and need to make a change. It goes, ‘If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you’ve always got.’ There are many sayings that are very similar, like the definition of insanity, etc. This sensible saying requires me to think about what I need to do if I want to achieve different results. Whether it’s career, hobbies, fitness or family, if I want a different outcome, I need to change. That change can be continuous learning, practicing more, exercising or spiritual growth. So, the bottom line is, improvement or change requires effort. 

Tom Krupa 
NGL Supply Terminals Co. 
Richmond, Virginia 

The golden rule: ‘Treat others as you wish to be treated.’ 

Boyd H. McGathey 
EDP 
Parkville, Missouri 

One of the most sensible things I’ve heard or read is from the author Ian MacLaren: ‘Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.’ 

Bruce Swiecicki 
Consulting Engineer 
Tinley Park, Illinois 

‘Do … or do not. There is no try.’ From ‘Empire Strikes Back,’ Episode 5 of Star Wars. 

Richard Strycharz Jr. 
Walter’s Propane 
Sunderland, Massachusetts

Sensible Notes 

There are a couple sensible phrases that I seem to have on a loop in my brain. One is commonly attributed to Mark Twain: “It is never wrong to do the right thing.” A simple saying that may challenge our ethics and morals throughout the day, throughout life. Another sensible thing I consider often was said to me by my dad, Casey Jarvis: “The only dumb question is the one you don’t ask.” To gain knowledge and understanding, this guideline has been key, especially in academics and business. 

Backing this up, as I was going through an onboarding session for the National Propane Gas Association’s executive committee, Chair Ray Murray suggested that we “ask the question that is on your mind, because if you’ve thought of it, certainly others are thinking it too. Be the one to ask it for all to learn from the response.” Wrapping up with one last saying attributed to English actress Kate Winslet — it seems sensible to me: “Life is short, and it is here to be lived.” Wishing you an enjoyable summer.